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felicityb-reviews · 6 years

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Review Roundup - Week 4 January 2018

Hello, my lovely baby boos!! My name is Jace (aka Felicity B), and welcome to your Weekly Roundup for Week 4 of January 2018!! This week was something else, sis. I must have listened to 40 or 50 different songs for this week's list. It was cray!! For these kinds of lists, the last thing I wanna do is leave off songs because I don't like them, but that's what I ended up having to do. This week's list was getting excessively long (is still excessively long), but the last thing we need here is an RRU with 20 ballads.

That being said, there's a lot of songs here with "I liked it, it was good" reviews. There's not much I can do about that. A lot of the music that came out this week was very middle of the road. They're good songs, don't get me wrong; I'd throw very few of them into the Shuffle Bait. But there's just not much to say about them.

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Turn It Up (RAINZ)

*sigh*

I really wanted to like this song, you guys. That chorus is Rave Excellence™ (if EDM tracks from rookie boy bands sounded like this, I wouldn't hate them so much). It's fucking everything, sis. And you know, I can excuse RAINZ for conjuring the spirit of 4minute with that New and Improved™ Hate breakdown. Everything leading up to it was bomb af, so I can get over myself with how annoyed I was by it.

But what I refuse to get over is DUBSTEP IN 2018!! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!

NO MA'AM!!

I don't know what makes Turn It Up pop so much more than tracks we've heard from groups like UP10TION or SF9 or ViCTON, because like I mentioned before, it's all in the same lane. Sure, that chorus makes my inner gay wanna come charging out and kiss five boys before rolling around in body paint (and then proceed to kiss five more boys), but this isn't anything we haven't heard before, musically. There's nothing inherently fun about this song (just extremely gay, which... RAINZ is a Broduce 101 project group, so of course), I just really freaking like it.

I just can't get over dubstep in 2018. If I had the means to cut it out of the track, I would be featuring that version in the official playlist.

#PettyBitch

Rating - Conditional Rotation

NO MORE (LIMZY featuring Huckleberry P)

No More is an exercise in RnB influenced Trip Hop/EDM that I wasn't sure I was gonna like, at first. This weirdly disjointed flavor of electroRnB is really not my taste, and the fact that LIMZY pushed it more left field than I've heard before really didn't help matters.

But No More is charming in its own way. The more I listened to it, the more it grew on me. LIMZY's smooth vocals are a nice foil to the weirdness of the beat, and Huckleberry P's rap didn't irritate me as much as I thought it would. I gotta be in a certain mood to really enjoy a song like this, but when I'm in said mood, catch me dissociating to No More.

Rating - Conditional Rotation

A luminous cat (Evolution of Sound)

A luminous cat is kind of basic, but it's also kind of fun. It's hella catchy, too.

Would you say that the luminous cat is also a lucky cat?!?!?!

I've always found it interesting how the farther away from K-Pop you get, the lower everyone's voices get. Ballad singers live in the low baritone/mezzo soprano range (although some of them think they live in soprano/tenor land, and they need to Stop Stop It™), and EoS's vocalist is the same. He's got a voice on him like WINNER's Kang Seung Yoon, but not quite as raspy. It's really nice to listen to.

A luminous cat is a synth driven pop/rock song. The first time I listened to it, I was bored as fuck all. The teaser had a lil somethin' somethin' goin' on, but the song fell flat in full. Upon repeat listens, A luminous cat hooks you in, but this is not a track I really wanna play all of the time. Which is a shame, cause I don't hear this type of sound a lot in Korean music.

Rating - Shuffle Bait

Ttongkku (Park Jongchul)

This is the cutest fucking thing I've ever seen in my life. And I stan Kim Jongin, okay?!?!? Do y'all know how cute my mans is?!!? But this video is even cuter than him!!!

#Shook

Ttongkku is a very whimsical acoustic ballad (for lack of a better descriptor). With the way Ttongkku is written, I'd expect this to be from something for children. The majority of the song follows the same strum pattern, just with different chord progressions swapped in, so Ttongkku is perhaps one of the most simple songs I've reviewed. That doesn't take away from how great this song is, tho. It's a really nice break from all the flashiness of K-Pop, which can easily wear on the ears.

Rating - Conditional Rotation

To Heart (fromis_9)

To Heart sounds like the theme song from a 2008 shoujo anime. I shouldn't be surprised considering their pre-release track, Glass Shoes, also sounded like that, and the inspiration behind Idol School is definitely Japanese idol groups. It's just not a sound you hear a lot in K-Pop.

fromis_9 (pronounced Promise 9, even though I still pronounce it like it's written without meaning to) is the group that resulted from last year's survival show Idol School. You know, when everyone was suddenly concerned about the ethnics of all these survival shows, because it wasn't under the Produce banner.

#ShadyBitch

While I liked Glass Shoes (and appreciated K-Pop's modern production techniques being applied to a song like it), it was definitely nothing to write home about. It was easy to lose it in the craziness that is end of the shows and what not. To Heart is, unfortunately, more of the same, but it definitely holds its own.

To Heart is an upbeat, happy go lucky pop/rock track with a really catchy violin riff layered on top of the intro and chorus bits. The verses are rather lowkey, but the chorus puts the pedal to the metal with the energy. You don't really hear a lot of lighter pop/rock tracks in K-Pop, so this is definitely a sound I'd like for fromis_9 to explore more, because it could easily give them a leg up on all the other cutesy girl groups. Tis a good comeback, but that's literally it for me, sis.

Rating - Conditional Rotation

Jazzclub (BoA)

Current Dancing Queen of K-Pop, Kwon BoA, has set her sights on Japan with a new album, set to release in February of 2018 (and it was about fuckin' time, because Who's Back was an abominable Mess™)!! Jazzclub is a song that's been floating around since December, but I'm including it in today's list per request since the single actually dropped last week.

Um... Whom tf just calls their ex out of the blue to tell them they got married?! Every time I watch the video for Jazzclub, I'm so confused by why this bit is included (they literally could've just started with BoA in the club with the song playing).

To the surprise of quite a few people (myself included), Jazzclub is an electroswing track with one of the catchiest horn riffs I've heard in K-Pop. If you're over horn riffs in K-Pop, you'll be happy to know that while it is played at the intro and after every chorus, those sections don't last for long. The most surprising bit about this song is definitely when BoA starts scat singing. Never in my life would I ever expect Kwon Boah to start scat singing in one of her songs, but I guess that just goes to show why she's the Queen.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about Jazzclub, babies. I obviously don't hate it, but there's just something keeping me from falling in love with this song completely. I definitely enjoy the chorus, that horn riff doesn't really bother me (I been listening to all kinds of horns in my music since I was a baby), and I was scalpedt by BoA's scat singing. But this song just doesn't come together the way I need it to, sis. BoA seems like she's phoning it in here, and that's the opposite of what someone in her stature should be doing.

Rating - Conditional Rotation

Don't Stop (TheEastLight.)

TheFetusLight. TheEastLight. weren't content with shaving our edges off with the Funky Fresh™ A Real Man last week, so they decided to drop a lyric video for their song Don't Stop to finish the job.

Of shaving us baldt, that is.

Don't Stop is a pop/punk number that I immediately latched onto. It simply suits TheFetusLight. TheEastLight. far more than A Real Man did. Not to say that they did MJ wrong with A Real Man, but Don't Stop feels more like their style. TheFetusLight. TheEastLight. do more youthful n fun tracks like this (and I Got You) far better than they do songs like A Real Man and You're My Love, because these types of songs suit their voices more.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

Winter Sleep (Lee Junhoe of 2PM)

Two questions -

How many of these 2PM fools can rap?!?!

What is up with these 2PM boys having whack ass vocal production on their songs!?!?!

Junhoe's Winter Sleep sounds like he got Day6's Young K to write him a song and then pulled in some random producer to arrange it into an RnB track. While I am cross about the weird effects on Junhoe's voice (they contrast very Wrongly™ with the sample that sounds like a digital clock ticking), he sounds leagues better than Wooyoung did on two of the four songs I reviewed for in previous Review Roundups, so I'm not too mad.

I don't like this song. It's not a Trash Bomb like Wooyoung's Party Shots, but I wouldn't even download this for Shuffle Bait. The weird beeping contrasting with the vocal effects is one thing, but the entire song just sounds way too loud. None of the elements meld together in a pretty manner, and if I were Young K, I'd demand reparations for Junhoe doin' my song like this.

Rating - Trash Bomb

Radio 199.3 (SBGB)

SBGB decided to go left field with their acoustic midtempo, and the results are a very pleasing aural experience.

Radio 199.3 is your typical acoustic midtempo, but with some very creative chord choices to make the song stand out above all the other acoustic midtempos we've heard this month. I'm typical a sucker for these types of songs (and their RnB cousins), so even if SBGB didn't include the ear catching chord progressions, I'd still be a fan of this song.

This is a song for soft days. For rainy afternoons that make you wanna curl up in bed with someone special. Or those days when things are just kind of blue, and you wanna listen to something simple.

Rating - Conditional Rotation

Thank You, Goodbye (BoA)

BoA, once again proving that she is indeed That Bitch™ (as in, That Bitch™ who loves to spread ha'self too thin), has released the the title track from her new Japanese album two days before she drops her new Korean album.

Because why scalp ya fandom once, when you can do it twice?!?! IN TWO DIFFERENT COUNTRIES!!

Thank You, Goodbye is a Japanese Ballad. If you've been a J-Pop fan for any period of time, you've decided if you like these types of songs or hate them (song quality notwithstanding). I happen to really like the way they sound, and I absolutely adore Thank You, Goodbye. BoA has a very shrill, nasal voice, so anytime she records a song like this, it's a risk that it could turn out Very Bad™. But the production in Thank You, Goodbye compliments BoA's voice well. And speaking of her voice, whomstever was on vocal production duties was on their A game, cause these arrangements are A1. You deserve a raise, babe!!

BoA's Thank You, Goodbye album is due for release in Japan on February 14, while Nega Dola is due for release in Korea on January 31.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

Shall We Dance (SBGB)

Shall We Dance is a very different song than what I was expecting. I thought she was gonna be an upbeat acoustic number, but what I got was a melancholy piano driven midtempo.

I'm not upset, tho. On the contrary, I'm very content.

Shall We Dance sees SBGB sprinkling in unusual sonic choices (including an uptick in tempo at the end of the track) to make their acoustic midtempos pop just like in Radio 199.3. This is all tied together with the very bright (but restrained) soprano of their vocalist.

I like Shall We Dance more than I do Radio 199.3, simply because I like piano driven tracks more than acoustic guitar ones, but I don't see myself listening to it as much as Radio 199.3. Radio 199.3 is a song for a specific mood, but the mood of Shall We Dance is quite darker than the one in Radio 199.3, That's not something I really want in my space all the time. Still, this song makes my Musician Brain™ very happy.

Rating - Conditional Rotation

Cherry On Top (10:45 from The Unit G)

Y'all, I was so so S O sure that Cherry On Top was gonna make the Fabulous Five for this week!! I don't know what name I'd put on songs with this kind of synth bass that also acts like a melodic element and a percussive one, but I fucking L O V E them. I loved it in SNSD's All Night (All Night should have been all the chorus bits, imo), and I loved it in the Cherry On Top preview.

But Cherry On Top is Como se dice... Not Good™.

Now, I listen to Cherry On Top like crazy, because I'm a fan of all of the different elements. But I listen to a lot of songs that I'd rate very poorly, because a) my taste in music is trash and b) I like fun music. If you're song isn't made well, but is a fun aural experience, I can excuse that.

I'm not gonna put you in a top faves list, because I have *some* integrity. But I mean...

The problem with Cherry On Top is that the verses and the choruses are too different, and the transition from the verse to the chorus is whack af. I mean, they *tried* (once), but it's still too jarring of a change. And I don't understand why they jumped right from the verse to the chorus after the rap in the second verse. That always throws me off. This bridge is also trash. It's literally just the prechorus, copy and pasted after the second refrain section. Blegh.

Today's video of Cherry On Top is brought to you by the ladies of The UNIT G's 10:45 unit winning second place in the digital single challenge. There is also a performance version of the video (that I wish was the original) that you can view here. And be sure to watch the ladies of 10:45 making your fave boy band look redundant on Music Bank here!!

Rating - Heavy Rotation

Always (Blooming of The Unit G)

I'm not gonna lie, the first time I heard Always, I turned my tv off because I couldn't find my phone to change the video. I really had that visceral of a reaction to the song.

Always is every cutesy K-Pop song you've ever heard. And I usually love these kinds of songs; they're fun, even if they aren't the most imaginative thing in the world. But Always is just ridiculously saccharine. It's a little too much, sis. It did end of growing on me, but this is not a song I want in my face all the time.

Today's video of Always is brought to you by the ladies of The UNIT G's Blooming unit winning first place in the digital single challenge. There is also a performance version of the video that you can view here. And be sure to check out Blooming perform Always on Music Bank here!!

Rating - Shuffle Bait

I Wanna Become a Celeb (Celeb Five)

Whoever said trot music was boring has clearly never heard of Celeb 5.

Granted, I'm pretty sure this is a project group, because *I've* never heard of them before this song. Either way, I Wanna Become a Celeb is a really fun trot song that's perfect if you need something over the top to jam to.

The best part of I Wanna Become a Celeb is how it refuses to take itself seriously. There's a random ass break in the middle of the track where it totally changes vibes twice, and then goes back to the original. The vocals are done in a tongue in cheek manner. The entire thing is just a really fun mess, and I love everything about it.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

The Perks Of Breaking Up (Cho Jung Chi featuring Fromm)

The Perks of Breaking Up is a sad song. But not too sad, if that makes sense.

The Perks of Breaking Up is a soft synthrock ballad. I really like the way it builds from a simple acoustic guitar all the way up to a rousing orchestration of guitars and synths. A song like this could have easily turn dreary and overly sad, but the arrangement and composition uplifts it. Yes, this is a song about a breakup, but it isn't the end of the world. Take what you need to be sad, and live. That's the feeling I get from this song. Tis nice.

Rating - Conditional Rotation

Propose (Younha)

Miss Younha, not content with the pile of wigs she procurred with last month's Hello and Parade, has blessed us with an Acoustic Coffee Shop RnB Midtempo in the form of Propose.

We love a benevolent queen, babies.

Propose, like I mentioned above, is an Acoustic Coffee Shop RnB Midtempo. Ms Younha's voice is complimented well by a soft guitar and electric keyboard, which are all laid over a soft n simple drum machine. A song like this is Shuffle Bait in the best of ways, imo. I'd put this on on my own accord, mind you, but this is the kind of song I'd look forward to playing if I put my phone on shuffle.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

Always Find You (Kwon Yuri x RAIDEN)

I see Future Bass is the mood of #TwentyGayTeen. Not sure how I feel about that, but considering how much I like Always Find You (and how I can't wait for Seventeen to ruin my life with Thank You), I guess I don't mind.

The problem that I have with most Future Bass songs is that they lack any type of punch or originality. And I mean, most styles of EDM really do not have any room for originality, but Future Bass just seems to have this problem where producers and DJs just churn out the most generic sounding beats they can. Always Find You, thankfully, doesn't have that issue.

Always Find You has a breakdown that washes over you and makes you feel like you're floating. There's a depth of sound/feeling here that I don't get with most Future Bass tracks. Yuri isn't the best vocalist, but she does her best to stand head and shoulders above the instrumentation (and has a producer that wants those Big Man Monies™). There are also vocoded bits that serve as a hook interjected into the prechorus that make it pop, and it's just... *clenches fist* So Good!!

Always find you is a collaboration between Yuri and English based producer/DJ Raiden for SMSTATION. There is an English version that features on Protocol Records' Youtube channel that you can watch here.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

Hometown (Ryan)

Ryan's Hometown sounds like someone decided to take acid, and turn the experience into a song. It's... I'm not quite sure if I like the way it turned out.

Hometown starts out nice and easy, folks. She's not gonna hurt you. Yet. Ryan creates a beautifully tranquil atmosphere with just his voice and a piano, but it doesn't stay that way for long. Hometown very quickly builds and crests into a drop that I would lovingly describe as Dissociation At It's Finest™.

Cause a bitch feels like she's flying!! YEEHAW, MOTHERFUCKERS!!

After the second verse is when Hometown takes a turn into Bad Trip™ land. This section takes the gentle and almost euphoric feeling of the first drop, and inverts them into something nightmareish. If you're not prepared for this section, it can scare the absolute shit outta you. I don't know why Ryan decided to add it, because the lazy bitch couldn't be fucked to properly transition out of it when he goes into the second prechorus. Either way, if you can get past how odd that shit is, Hometown is pretty great.

Rating - Conditional Rotation

Beautiful Life (Six Bomb)

Six Bomb is a group that keeps cropping up out of nowhere and surprising my ass, and you'd think I'd be used to this shit by now. At least they left the gimmicky concepts at home, and decided to just deliver a nice song this time around.

Beautiful Life is really not much to write home around. It's just a really simple pop song, accented by a sax riff that honestly makes the song. If you're sick to the back of ya teef of sax riffs in your pop music, then skip to the next song, this one is not for you. But if you don't mind them, Beautiful Life is nice.

Rating - Shuffle Bait

Baby Boo (High Soul featuring KissN and Mint)

You know that feeling when you stan a rookie from a small company that you aren't sure is gonna make it?!!?! That's me with High Soul. She showed up last year on a random episode of Music Core with a song I couldn't find a video for, and besides a few more sporadic daily music show appearances, I haven't heard from her since.

Baby Boo is a very cutesy swing song that I have to be in a cutesy mood to listen to. If the entire track was just KissN (except for Lime's rap break), I'd probably like this way more, but High Soul's nasally tone is a bit too much with the brightness of the instrumentation. I'm glad that she's still making music, but sis... This ain't the move.

Rating - Conditional Rotation

Miss You (Jang Sooa)

Miss You is a very smooth and straight forward RnB song. This is the type of song I wanna play after listening to a song like CHASY's Memories:Snow, because it helps me anchor my soul back to reality.

Cause shit, a bitch really be visitin' four dimensions in the Higher Realm™ while listening to tracks like Memories:Snow.

Miss You is your typical Acoustic Coffee Shop RnB Midtempo to the T. But that's okay, sis!! We love those around these parts!! People these days are really scared to do shit that's considered ~typical~, but sometimes it's just best to stay in your lane. And that's what Ms Sooa does with Miss You.

Ms Sooa has a really pretty voice that compliments the instrumentation of Miss You very well. More intricate vocal production/arrangement would've been appreciated, tho. And mayhaps a rap break?!?! I feel like this needs a rap break. Nonetheless, a really nice song.

Rating - Shuffle Bait

vague (Ha Un)

Vague is a song you'd hear playing in an upscale bar. Pleasantly funky, but in a manner you can ignore if you wanted to.

There's not really much for me to say about vague other than "I liked it, it was good". A song like this is a textbook Shuffle Bait track, sis. I like the funkiness of the guitars and bass, and the way Ha Un's voice sis on top of the track is Very Nice™, but everything from the arrangement to the chord progressions used here are things I've heard in other songs. And not only that, but used more creatively.

Vague isn't a bad song, it just isn't that creative. And honestly, while I did just say that sometimes it's better to just stay in your lane, sometimes you stay a little *too* far in your lane.

Rating - Shuffle Bait

FLY (Heera featuring PDAY)

FLY is a song I was looking forward to, because the teasers gave me a nice instrumental. But sis... Heera's vocals were whack. They did the thing where they had the hook play out over silence, and... It wasn't cute. BUT!! I've been fooled by teasers before, so I figured I should hear FLY in full before condemning it.

My initial reaction was correct. This instrumentation is amazing, but Miss Heera's voice gets hella screechy. It's not pleasant. And while I like that this is an experimental electroRnB track that isn't too left field, I don't like it enough to purposefully play the song more than twice.

Rating - Shuffle Bait

6 (Six) (MDSZ)

6 sounds like it should be the opener for a Shounen Jump anime. That extended intro at the beginning would lend itself very well to a Bleach or Black Cat type of show.

6 is a synth driven pop/punk track. I wasn't sure what to make of this song at first, but it grew on me. Like, a fuckin' weed. This type of track would be great to work out to. I mean, I don't really work out, but I'd assume the energy here would hype you up like you're the baddest bitch in that gym.

If I ever find myself in Korea, I'd love to hear this song live. The studio version packs quite the punch, but it feels a little restrained. And that's very common with songs like these, because mixing them requires you to EQ a lot of the different elements quite aggressively to get them to sound nice together in a recording. But still, live show. I wanna be there.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

The Fabulous Five

5. NIRVANA (Ravi)

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Can someone please find me what that melody being played by the xylophone at the beginning of this song is from?!?!! It sounds so annoying familiar, but I can't place it and it's gonna drive me nuts.

Not as nuts as Ravi's Sik-k imitations, but close.

Nirvana starts out sounding very on trend for a K-HipHop song. I'm not gonna lie, I was debating if I should leave Nirvana off the list, because Ravi's intro was just... So Bad™. But since we're being better people in 2018, I decided to give the whole song a chance, and I was very surprised. The verse had me boppin' a lil, cause Ravi ditches the autotune and starts rapping like he means it.

But nothing could have prepared for the Rave Realness™ of the chorus, ladies.

The autotune is back with a vengeance, but it fits the Rave backdrop better, so I'm not mad. And I will admit (grudgingly), that the hook is catchy as fuck all. This combination, lowkey, reminds me of Azealia Banks' Ice Princess (the verse bits on Nirvana are more RnB than trap, but same concept). This kind of combo really shouldn't work, but the transition into the Rave sections from the verses is clean af.

Jimin's bits are a nice break from Ravi (he's learned to stop embellishing his voice, but he can still be annoying at times), but I feel like they could have utilized her more in the track. The brightness of her voice contrasts the depth of Ravi's, plus she elevates the Rave sections very nicely. But we literally hear her for 10 seconds twice and dassit, boo!!

For whatever reason, Nirvana gets mixed into one of the b-sides on Ravi's mixtape called Alcohol in the official video. You can listen to both tracks separately here.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

4. Sunset Dream (Kriesha Chu)

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Miss Kriesha Chu got bored with that Future Bass mess Hui (of Pentagon) gave her and decided to take a swipe at Ariana's ponytail. Turn up!!

Sunset Dream swaggerjacks Problem down to the horn riffs and trap breakdowns, sis. Fortunately, it does so in a way that improves upon the original, and isn't reductive. Kriesha Chu doesn't particularly care that we know she stole Problem out from underneath Ariana Grande's nose. She just wants us to know that she's a better dancer.

And has more stage presence, but let's not get *too shady*.

I don't really understand why Like Paradise was chosen to be the title track from Kriesha Chu's first glorified single album mini album when Sunset Dream was right there. This song makes Like Paradise look dusty af, and I'm salty as hell now. Either way, I'm glad she decided to perform it on MCD One Good Time™. If you'd like to hear the studio version, you may do so here.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

3. Memories:Snow (CHASY featuring Yeonhee)

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If I ever lucked out and got cast in a movie, I'd want this song to play during the first makeout scene with my character's boyfriend. These types of really intense breakdowns are perfect for those types of scenes, sis.

CHASY's Memories:Snow is what I wanted from Ryan's Hometown - a straightforward EDM track to dissociate to. There are no surprise breakdowns or beat switches here, baby. Memories:Snow is 100% chillstep. And I fucking love it. These types of songs are great for bad days, because they either make me cry or feel like I'm floating.

Obviously, I like the floaty feel feels better, because that doesn't make physically exhausted, but sometimes a bitch just has to cry.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

2. Glue (Planetarium Records)

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Last we saw the boys of Planetarium Records, they were ruining my life with tropical flavored RnB. Glue sees them trading in the tropical synths and drum beats for more conventional, Gospel inspired RnB sounds and hip hop beats.

And to the utter surprise and shock of absolutely no one, I fucking loved it.

While Blah was a "winin' on the beach, dancin' by the sand castles" type of track that would make any misc. group of niggas party go crazy, Glue is slow n sultry. Glue is a "slow dancing with bae" type track. Glue is a "I'm gon' romance you if it's the L A S T thing I do" track. Glue is the type of song you sing to bae when you wanna get in dem guts (or have bae blunder yours #InclusivityInOurSexJams). Glue is a song of many moods, sis.

Glue is brought to us today via a special showcase live video. The Planetarium boys were kind enough to also post their performance of Blah, which you may view here.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

1. On or Off (Nick & Sammy)

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So like... Y'all just gon' snatch up Eric Nam like that!?!? Y'all really gon' steal my mans' song, and do it better than him!?!?!? I'm not mad (#SorryBae :3), I'm just curious, sis!!

On or Off is 90% a funky ass bassline, and y'all K N O W how I feel about Funk in my K-Pop!! It's also 90% Sammy rapping (and a lil singing), but I'm absolutely not mad at that, either. Nick comes in with his smooth n bright tenor just enough that it doesn't feel like On or Off is Sammy featuring Nick (in fact, I probably wouldn't like this song as much if it was just Sammy), so it's all good.

On or Off, like I mentioned above, is Funky af. Nick & Sammy have snatched their own little slice of the '90s with track, and it works so ridiculously well. On or Off is also lowkey af; this is a song you play when the party's winding down, sis. It's a lil hype, but you not trynna have nobody be buckwild.

Btw, am I just imagining things or does it sound like the na na na's were quoted from Will Smith's Gettin' Jiggy Wit It?!?!?! They didn't lift the actual audio from the song, but it sounds like they recorded their own version of that bit.

1theK continues to do the Lord's work by providing a Special Clip of On or Off (it's basically a live studio recording with) that you can watch here. Nick & Sammy also posted a dance practice video to their channel that you can view here. And be sure to check out the other videos on their Youtube channel; their covers and mashups are fucking amazing.

Rating - Heavy Rotation

Alright guys, that's it for today's list!! Be sure to tune in this time next for my next Review Roundup featuring songs from this week (I'll try to keep it under 20 songs this time, but no promises)!! And don't forget to keep your eyes open on Friday for the next entry in my SHINee Feature Spotlight series, where we're gonna be looking at some of SHINee's more contemporary tracks!!

I'm also starting up full length reviews again, pending my work schedule. I've got two lined up for next Monday, one at 12pm EST and the other at 6pm EST. Be sure to show them some love, guys!!

Love you all.

#Nick&Sammy #Planetarium Records #CHASY #Kriesha Chu #Ravi #ViXX #15& Jimin #Yeonhee #Review Roundup #Felicity B

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popliar · 6 years

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quick thoughts on the bts spotify mixtapes - part ii

Previously on BTS mixtapes…

And here I am back again with some more nonsense thoughts on the updated BTS Spotify playlists.

Jungkook showing character development, yeahhh. This is still the softest playlist of the lot and personally it's not what I'm into, but compare it to his previous (not bad, but overlong and samey-sounding) one - look at this growth, look at this near-adherence to the form, look at how far he's come! This self-improvement meta-narrative is very JK and I'm into it. Also way to go including your new bros Khalid and Marshmello.

Jungkook: I am Listening to It Right Now [M] Sunburn - DROELOE - Sunburn Leaving - Illenium - Awake Beautiful Creatures (feat. MAX) - Illenium, MAX - Awake Bedroom Floor - Liam Payne - Bedroom Floor do re mi - blackbear - digital druglord I Miss You (feat. Julia Michaels) - Clean Bandit, Julia Michaels - I Miss You (feat. Julia Michaels) New - Daya - New Silence - Marshmello, Khalid - Silence Crime (with Skott) - Grey, Skott - Chameleon Wolves - Selena Gomez, Marshmello - Wolves

Jin’s is once again the most middle of the road. I think it's too harsh to say it's actually bad - yeah there's some meh, but there’s some great songs on here. Like I'd probably put Humble on my own playlist for 2017, despite it being too obvious, because sometimes the obvious is just the right thing, you know? The problem is there’s too much of that - I can't endorse this because it's all so safe. And for goodness' sake, Black Skinhead and Rap God were on his PREVIOUS playlist too, that's not on bro! (Gotta respect the perfectly in-character self-promo tho. You do you, bb!)

Jin's GA CHI DEUL EUL LAE? [I] Best of Me - BTS - Love Yourself: Her Work Hard, Play Hard - Wiz Khalifa - O.N.I.F.C. Black Skinhead - Kanye West - Yeezus Rap God - Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP2 HUMBLE. - Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. Mercy - Shawn Mendes - Illuminate (Deluxe) 7 Years - Lukas Graham - Lukas Graham Strip That Down - Liam Payne, Quavo - Strip That Down Bad and Boujee (feat. Lil Uzi Vert) - Migos, Lil Uzi Vert - Culture Chandelier - Sia - 1000 Forms of Fear

Jimin - Oh my god Jimin what are you -- How are you -- Why???? Last time you were fine and this time it's like????? IDK????? [speechless for several minutes] If this reminds me of anything, it's the quote from Catch-22 about the man named Major who could've named his child Drum Major, Minor Major, Sergeant Major, or C Sharp Major, but instead went for Major Major Major. Well I think Jimin went full Major Major Major and I'm weeping.

Jimin’s Joah? JOAH! [C] Save Me - BTS - The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever Not Today - BTS - You Never Walk Alone No Limit - Usher, Young Thug - Hard II Love I Need A Girl - Trey Songz - Ready (international) Best of Me - BTS - Love Yourself: Her I Don't Wanna Life Forever (Fifty Shades Darker) - Zayn, Taylor Swift - Fifty Shades Darker Say It - Tory Lanez - I Told You Outro: Her - BTS - Love Yourself: Her Intro: Serendipity - BTS - Love Yourself: Her Young - The Chainsmokers - Memories...Do Not Open

Suga - After the disaster of Jimin's, I nearly cried with relief. A very solid playlist! Rap fan Yoongi COMING THRU AGAIN with something focused, succinct, and on theme. An enjoyable mixtape, would hit repeat. (Do you think Hobi was mad he sniped Gucci Gang?) (Do you think Namjoon was mad he sniped Havana?)

Suga's Hip-Hop Replay [D] goosebumps - Travis Scott - Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight Havana - Camila Cabello, Young Thug - Havana Diego - Tory Lanez - Diego Gucci Gang - Lil Pump - Lil Pump rockstar - Post Malone, 21 Savage - rockstar Unforgettable - French Montana, Swae Lee - Jungle Rules The Don - Nas - Life is Good Ali Bomaye - The Game, 2 Chainz, Rick Ross - Jesus Piece What You Know - T.I. - King

RM - NAMJOOOOOOON wow wow wow. This is it. This is #peak mixtape. Look at this handsome nerd's great taste! This is eclectic and personal and it WORKS. His first mixtape was good but this is BETTER, tighter and more focused while not losing his individuality. I like the inclusion of Kendrick's DNA which is both entirely in keeping with his hiphop tastes but also works like a little inside joke; I'm very into the 2Pac and Eminem, both songs I loved so much when I was younger; and I'm emotional about Dead! Also the inclusion of MCR and Lil Peep make me think that I'm not imagining the emo/post-punk influence on "Sea" and I'm into it. tl;dr I love this mixtape and I love RM.

RM's Heavy Rotations [R] Ghostface Killers - 21 Savage, Offset, Metro Boomin, Travis Scott - Without Warning No No No - GASHI - No No No Havana - Camila Cabello, Young Thug - Havana Dead! - My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade Lose Yourself - Eminem - Curtain Call September - Earth, Wind & Fire - The Eternal Dance DNA. - Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. Awful Things - Lil Peep, Lil Tracy - Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 1 Stay (with Alessia Cara) - Zedd, Alessia Cara - Stay California Love - 2Pac, Roger, Dr Dre - 2Pac Greatest Hits

J-Hope - Ooh, this feels very Jay-Hope! Quality-wise this feels on par with Yoongi's, and like Yoongi's I'd say it's a bit less personal and more consciously thematic. I kinda miss the quirkiness of his previous playlist, but this is a good mix anyway and I'd play this at your summer party. (If this is a pointer towards what hixxtape will sound like then… I'm ready.)

J-Hope's JAM [O] Drop It Like It's Hot - Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams - R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece Gucci Gang - Lil Pump - Lil Pump B Boy (feat. Big Sean & A$AP Ferg) - Meek Mill, Big Sean, A$AP Ferg - Dream Chaser 4 GUMMY - BROCKHAMPTON - SATURATION II Energy - Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late Kokamoe Freestyle - GoldLink - At What Cost Los Awesome - ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock - Oxymoron All Hands on Deck - Tinashe - Aquarius ROCKABYE BABY (feat. ScHoolboy Q) - Joey Bada$$, ScHoolboy Q - ALL-AMERIKKAN BADA$$

V - Look, I remember the previous one (AND HOW), so this - this is fine. I'll fucking take it.

V's Join Me [P] Every Kind of Way - H.E.R. - H.E.R. Volume 2 Get You (feat. Kali Uchis) - Daniel Caesar, Kali Uchis - Freudian Best Part (feat. H.E.R.) - Daniel Caesar, Kali Uchis - Freudian I Am A Fool To Want You - Chet Baker - Finest Blue room - Chet Baker - Touch of Your Lips I've Never Been In Love Before (vocal) - Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings Lullaby of Birdland - Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan A Kiss To Build A Dream On - Louis Armstrong - Hello, Dolly! Hello in There - Joan Baez - Diamonds & Rust Motorsport - Migos, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B - Motorsport

In conclusion: rap line slays again, with the greatest of ease, and Namjoon is clearly the MVP.

I know it's not a competition but I find it pretty interesting that rap line came up with 3 very good mixtapes, which perfectly adhere to the rules; and vocal line (minus JK) just… did their own post-mixtape thing. By 'post-mixtape' I mean, we're not limited anymore by format and time, or access to material, thanks to digital formats and streaming libraries. Vocal line reflects that freedom, with all the good and bad that comes with it - whereas rap line shows what you can do, how you can be creative within the restriction of the form.

#bts #kpop #mixtape thoughts #actually using tumblr as a blog how strange

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chmpn-remix · 6 years

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Okay I’m gonna do that end of the year meme now because I’m surprisingly bored

First things first, did you have a good year? ~ it’s been weird. Honestly speaking it’s been good. I did so much travelling compared to the other 22 years of my life. But I also lost friends and things were shifting quite a bit in that department (mostly for online friends) and that part was meh

How old did you turn this year? ~ 23

Do you feel your age? ~ both yes and no. This year /was/ the year of finally feeling like I’m going somewhere, career wise. and I think it’s more accepting the fact that it’s okay not to feel like an adult yet even though I am

Did your appearance change in anyway? ~ ooh! I started stretching my ears in January and now they’re at 0g! I dyed hair and went through colors I’ve used before so that’s not super new

Post your favorite selfie. ~ it’s not on my laptop so maybe I’ll post it later

If you traveled, where did you go? ~ on March @notpassingfascination drove us to Boise, ID to see panic at the disco!! and then at the end of June I went to Calgary for Otafest

Which fashion trends did you love? ~ none for this year really, though I updated my wardrobe to include office casual stuff ahaha

Which fashion trends did you hate? ~ none that I can remember immediately

What was your favorite article of clothing this year? Post a pic if possible? ~ my fuckin space pants!! tho im fairly sure I didn’t buy it this year I think? maybe??

What song sums up this year for you? ~ What’s My Age by Blink-182 hahahahahahhaHAHAH

What album came out and has been on heavy rotation since then? ~ oh man After Laughter definitely

What was your favorite movie of the year? ~ Guardians of the Galaxy volume 2!!!! also wonderwoman

Did an actor/actress catch your attention for the first time this year? ~ nope but for bands it’s Waterparks and Set It Off

Favorite new TV show? ~ none that are new, but the main ones for this year are Game of Thrones and Stranger Things

Which new ship/fandom has taken over a lot of your time, attention, and tears? ~ uhhh tbh I’ve been all over the place but I’m still in the top fandom. In mostly correct order I’ve gotten into Set It Off, Halsey’s new album, Paramore’s After Laughter and also their self titled album, Voltron, GoT, Stranger Things, Waterparks and rn I’m really into Doki Doki Literature Club and kinda watching let’s players play games?

What food did you try for the first time? ~ nothing I can think of tbh

Did you make any big permanent changes this year? ~ not really, but I think I’m getting new glasses before the year is over

What was one nice thing you did for someone else? ~ this year I decided to buy my friends christmas gifts!

What was one nice thing you did for yourself? ~ set tasks/goals that are more achievable and changed my mentality a bit about getting work done. it’s getting a lil better or at least I’m feeling a lil better about it

Did you develop a new obsession? ~ nothing that was as big as twenty one pilots was in 2015 ahaha. I did have a long phase where I listened to Paramore’s self-titled almost every day

Did you vote? ~ yes!

Did you move? ~ nope

Did you get a job? ~ yes! tbh I’ve worked at like 3 places this year woah

Did you get a pet? ~ yes! I’m taking care of my boyfriend’s cat Luna (who is kinda also partly my cat)

Do you regret not doing anything? ~ buddy I have a constant feeling that I’m not doing enough s o

Do you regret doing something? ~ deleting that friend off snapchat ahahah that was honestly an accident but oh fuckin well

Have you done anything that scared you? ~ taking on new responsiblities at work

Did anyone/thing make you so mad it stayed with you for days? ~ I have a family friend who is a 14 y/o foster kid and he’s always getting into trouble. At least once a month he’ll tell me something worrying and it’ll make me mad but also frustrated and worried and everything else

Did you lose anyone close to you? ~ not in the death sense no

Did you fall in love? ~ with beb, always!! I also recently fell in love with 21 Questions by Waterparks ;D along with Paramore’s last two albums and the album Duality by Set It Off

Did you fall out of love? ~ platonic love yeah. it’s getting a lil better

Did you start a new relationship? ~ only platonic relationships m’dude

Did you go through a break up? ~ ONLY PLATONIC BREAKUPS M’DUDE

Did you have to cut ties to someone? ~ I already answered this

Who was important to you this year but wasn’t important last year? ~ b!! they are precious. Also Allie! she is a positive vibe in my life

Who wasn’t as important to you this year as they were last year? ~ One Person *looks straight into the camera*

If you could have a do over on one thing you did, would you take it? ~ yes I would’ve approached Reeve Carn*y and asked for an autograph ahaha

What was the best moment of the year for you? ~ almost straight up bawling right after PATD performed Nine in the Afternoon

What was the worst? ~ teaching this one class of two students and I was just...not on the ball that day the lead teacher was observing and I was so fuckin nervous and it was an absolute mess. that was the worst moment but the worse thing happening this year happened really slowly over time so

Did anything happen that you were sure would change you as a person but it really didn’t? ~ ngl these past 2 years are just me thinking about when I was 12 and thinking “yeah 20+ y/o me will have it figured out all the future adult stuff is her problem!” and here I am realizing I’m still that 12 year old and struggling to deal with so many things. i dont think i answered the question but tbh I’m p sure getting a job and being in grad school would Change me but not really? I’m still me but maybe a tiny bit better?

Did anything happen to you that you were sure wouldn’t change you as a person but it did? ~ I wasn’t expecting to go into therapy this year and it change me more than I expected it to and I’m really glad

What are you most proud of accomplishing? ~ being a sub teacher! It’s an important step to being a real teacher!!

What have you learned about yourself this year that you didn’t know in the years prior? ~ that I am still a petty lil shit that can’t let go (though this was for good reason tho)

Did your opinion of anyone change for the better? ~ not really?

Did your opinion of anyone change for worse? ~ meh

If you make resolutions, did you complete them this year? ~ haha no

If you make resolutions, what will your resolutions be for the coming year? ~ I don’t really make resolutions bc i know I won’t keep them ahah

If you could go on an adventure during the remaining days of the year, where would you go and what would you do? Who would you go with? ~ ngl anywhere in a car with either Randi or beb would be an adventure to me

What do you wish for others for the coming year? ~ define others because I can’t think of a blanket wish for Everyone

What do you wish for yourself? ~ to move the fuck on and also actually like...be in the moment? I did so many adult things but I feel like I’m just going through the motions...idk I also wish I’ll be able to handle more responsibility

#this is a post #bleh I feel fuzzy #my memory is shit

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makumii · 4 years

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Answers to last rb - End of Year Meme

First things first, did you have a good year? kinda???? it sure was interesting and the first half sucked balls..

How old did you turn this year? 21

Do you feel your age? I feel 14 and 36 at the same time - it sure is fun to be alive

Did your appearance change in anyway? finally dyed my hair again! (currently blue) Also ears pierced in december

Post your favorite selfie. jokes on u i dont make selfies

If you traveled, where did you go? spent a week in cologne at a friends place for gamescom and another week in the middle of austria on a farm! (vacation - wooohoo)

Which fashion trends did you love? i dont even know any trends that occured this year help

Which fashion trends did you hate? see above

What was your favorite article of clothing this year? Post a pic if possible? very recent but that one fancy black coat i got myself for christmas (https://www.emp.at/p/malphas/397063.html)

What song sums up this year for you? Breathin - Ariana Grande but the Thomas Sanders cover

What album came out and has been on heavy rotation since then? i dont even know what got releassed this year what is timeee

What was your favorite movie of the year? HOOOO boy okay: Klaus, Frozen 2, Joker and that’s about all that i remember

Did an actor/actress catch your attention for the first time this year? not really, i didnt have my eyes on many new faces this year

Favorite new TV show? She Ra probably?? Again, nothing overly new on that side |D Also not rly a TV show but I super got into critical role

Which new ship/fandom has taken over a lot of your time, attention, and tears? Entrapdak all the way - those two basically killed me Also Critical Role (thanks B.) -> I’m only 40 episodes in the second campaign but BOY am I deep in

What food did you try for the first time? none as far as i’m aware?

Did you make any big permanent changes this year? uhhhhh i think my confidence got a boost in the second half of the year so i think that counts? Also ear piercings

What was one nice thing you did for someone else? sponsored an entire Christmas market visit for my best bro (Food and souvenirs included)

What was one nice thing you did for yourself? as cruel as it sounds, i broke up with my boyfriend which was quite freeing Also finally dyed hair again and I am LIVING

Did you develop a new obsession? Critical Role |D

Did you vote? Yeap

Did you move? Nope, but I might move out in 2020

Did you get a job? already had one, but thanks for asking <3

Did you get a pet? nope, only plushies

Do you regret not doing anything? OH Y E A H - there’s a bunch of things (not dancing with my maybe-crush at the christmas party, not breaking up sooner with my bf, and some other things i won’T remember rn but I am the master of not doing things and regretting it afterwards)

Do you regret doing something? probably, but i currently don’t remember; I’ll probably think of it during my next breakdown

Have you done anything that scared you? nope, didn’t do it because i was scared and now I regret not doing it |D

Did anyone/thing make you so mad it stayed with you for days? I don’t really get mad? But the biggest ball of negative emotions was caused by my breakup

Did you lose anyone close to you? my ex! we broke up and he didn’t want to stay in touch so there’s that

Did you fall in love? actually i might have; still working on figuring that shit out

Did you fall out of love? nope; even tho we only broke up this year it’s been over for me since the end of 2018

Did you start a new relationship? no, but there might be something in the works???????? IDK what to make of this situation

Did you go through a break up? ohhhh yeah - and it wasn’T as bad as expected (we already had a big major breakup at the end of 2018 so i already was prepared for the ‘final’ one)

Did you have to cut ties to someone? It wasn’t my choice unfortunately

Who was important to you this year but wasn’t important last year? the first person that came to my mind was important last year too so idk? no new people in my life

Who wasn’t as important to you this year as they were last year? my ex (I love how he’s in most of the answers lmaoo)

If you could have a do over on one thing you did, would you take it? heck yeah! if i had the chance to dance with that one dude?? I’d say yes immediately (he was kinda disappointed i said no so I SHOULDVE SAID YES)

What was the best moment of the year for you? have to name a few actually: - christmas party at work (including a mario kart tournament) - gamescom (and staying at a good friend’s place for a week!!) - christmas dinner at my granny’s bc i finally got to get back to my second half of the family) - my almost 1.0 GPA at school

What was the worst? - breakup (even if it wasn’t as bad, it still sucked) - my almost 1.0 GPA (SO CLOSE sklhgfsdköfjhskdö)

Did anything happen that you were sure would change you as a person but it really didn’t? - the break up -> but i guess since i saw it comming it didn’t have as much power over me - a certain thing i might’ve done last year around christmas but wasn’t as bad as it seemed?? it’s all chill and just showed me some things about me that i wasn’t as certain of

Did anything happen to you that you were sure wouldn’t change you as a person but it did? actually no?? not that im aware of - okay maybe the maybe-crush accidentally helped me with my self confidence but uhhh idk if that counts or sth

What are you most proud of accomplishing? some sort of SELF WORTH got out of a toxic relationship

What have you learned about yourself this year that you didn’t know in the years prior? idk next

Did your opinion of anyone change for the better? honestly i don’t know, i still love my friends and no one is better off all of a sudden? idkkkk

Did your opinion of anyone change for worse? nope not that i’m aware of

If you make resolutions, did you complete them this year? even if i did make some I don’t remember them oops

If you make resolutions, what will your resolutions be for the coming year? maybe draw more? get back into piano playing? something like this also v important: 2020 me, dont let others ruin your self worth any further!!!!!! GO AND ROCK THOSE CLOTHES!!!!!!!!

If you could go on an adventure during the remaining days of the year, where would you go and what would you do? Who would you go this? I’m perfectly content here at home - the most adventurous I’d do is going to a friend’s place or something

What do you wish for others for the coming year? Lot’s of love and happiness, I wish for everyone to find their family and being able to surround themselves with people they love and that care about them!

What do you wish for yourself? That I stop being such a scared lil shit Srsly, if smn cute wants to dance with you u better say yes!!!!! Also that I can find more parts of my true self

#end of the year meme #rambling #this was supposed to be an ask meme but idc

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