K.Will You Don't Know Love

How's the song? 

I think that it is pretty safe to say that K.Will has one of the most amazing voices in K-pop, who's with me? It's just so smooth and magical sounding. I guess that's why he is always on OSTs. He also has a sound that is his own, you always know when you are listening to one of his songs.

Something else that he does is use clean sounds in his songs. There is usually a guitar and sometimes a piano track and it is a nice break from all the big crazy sounds that usually come out. Speaking of pianos, I really like that the song begins and ends with a piano. It was a smooth jazzy sound and, as I always say, I am always okay with someone tickling the ivory in a song.

This song has a similar theme to VIXX and OKDAL's song "Girls, Why?" that I reviewed last week. It is about a couple who are not communicating enough and it is driving a wedge between them. It is saying that, I would assume the boy, is not paying enough attention to the girl and feels hurt by that but the guy just thinks that she's being annoying. There is no real resolution in the song though. The video shows our couple getting back together, but the song continues with the idea that these two are still not seeing entirely eye to eye. 

How's the video?  

In this video we see the love story of two young people as they break up and then get back together. It is also very visually pleasing with its light and airy color pallet. The video starred Chanyeol from EXO who I find to be super adorable with his giant ears and lovely smile and a girl who I don't know, sorry mystery girl. But even will all this pretty, it couldn't mask the fact that a lot of weird things happened in this video, let's go over them, shall we?

The video starts out with our two actors being very modelesque as they cry in their rooms.

Then, equally as modely, they get out of bed and I might be able to believe (stress that "might") those are the girls pajamas, but Chanyeol is wearing a pretty nice sweater and I refuse to believe that that is regular sleeping attire.

The two of them then make toast in their respective houses. Question: who eats toast without anything on it? Also, is walking around with bread hanging out of your mouth an Asian thing because the only time I have ever seen that is in animes and mangas, and now I see it here. 

Then we see the two lovers in a park and the girl gives her couple ring to Chanyeol who angrily throws it to the ground. The plot thickens.

Chanyeol then proceeds to throw everything in his dresser on the floor looking for the sweater that was IN THE SWEATER DRAWER.

He's just opening drawers which obviously don't contain sweaters. Nope, not in the pants drawer

And it certainly not this green t-shirt.

Oh, hey, I found the sweater, in the sweater drawer! Who would have thought that it would be in there?

Something else that I don't understand is that these two just had a pretty big fight right? So, now they are packing all the memories of the other person in a box, presumably to give it back in the near future. What I don't understand is that their skipping all over the house looking happy as they pack away these things. I don't know what they were fighting about, but they seem way too happy.

Chanyeol then finds his couple ring in a drawer and it is super small. Why is it so small? Aren't couple rings suppose to fit on the ring finger, like a wedding band? Could he not afford the man sized couple ring and had to buy a baby size?

 

Chanyeol then goes back to the park where they had their fight and he finds her ring in the dirt and when he stands up, he sees her there. Her takes her box and then open his own and takes out a blue rose to replace the dead one that was in her room. When she takes it from him, he drops her ring onto her had, and I must say, it was kind of a boss move. 

The video ends with the two of them hugging it out as the camera pans up into the trees. I like that K.Will's videos are always pretty unfussy and tell a definite, followable story. It is nice to see something that doesn't make you scratch your head at the end wondering what the heck you just watched, even though those are always interesting.

How's the styling? 

Like everything else in the video, the clothes were simple, but nice and didn't detract from anything. They looked like clothes that people their age would wear and age appropriateness is something that is being lost in society.

There are also some pretty nice sweaters in this video and if there is something that I like more than really nice piano tracks its coveting the sweaters of the actors and singers in music videos.

Is the dancing super amazing? 

No dance here, unless it is the dance of luuuurve. That was incredibly corny, but I'm keeping it in anyways. 

Which member owned it? 

Stuff K-pop fans never say: I love watching K.Will act and sing in his videos. Seriously, why can't K.Will be the star of his own videos? His last song "Love Blossom" was the first video that he appeared in and he was shot by L. How rude.

Even though K.Will is unofficially banned from appearing in his own videos, that normally means that we get to see other cool people in his videos, this time that cool person is Chanyeol.

 
Chanyeol is definitely on my list of idols that I would like to take home and take care of. That face just screams "give me a cookie and take care of me!"

Did the English make you ears bleed? 

No English here, but if there was, it would probably be perfect.

What else is happening?

BESTie "Love Options" - Everything about this is better than their debut song. The song itself sounds better and is catchier and the camera isn't focused on their butts this time either.

Jung In "Autumn Boy" - Her voice is wonderful! It has a great classic smokey quality

Park Ji Yoon "Mr. Lee" - I really liked this song and the jazzy feel that it had. I also liked that it was all in black and white which added to the whole feel of the song.

Kim Bo Hyung "Crazy Girl" - Wow, that video was super intense. The song was pretty though.

Timer "3 Days" - debut song - So, I guess these guys have been writing songs for a while, but now they have former a group. The song is really pretty, but all the ballads are starting to get me down.

Maybee "Tomorrow is Clear, Too" - This video and song were cute and now I want a little animated alien friend too.

A-PRINCE "Romantic Gangwon"- I feel like I just watched a musical infomercial and now I need to go buy a ticket to Gangwon. That place in gorgeous!

Yoo Seung Woo "U Who?" - This kid is so adorable, like, seriously, what the heck?

Urban Zakapa "Walk Backwards" - This song sounds like a lullaby, so while it is very pretty, it isn't for me.

Sin Seung Hun "Sorry"

~ Alora 

K-pop Half Time Show 2013 Solos and Subunits

I think that it takes a special person to promote singly, especially when you are in a presently promoting group. I can see going from a group where you can feed off other people's energy to being solo could be both exhilarating and terrifying. One of my favorite things about people who are putting out solo albums for the first time outside of a group is you get to see a completely different side of them. You are so used to seeing them one way but then they completely 180 when they are on their own. Here are those people that we felt really shined through the masses of large groups as a singular star.
   

 Comebacks     Debuts

Solos

Girls 

Lee Hyori "Bad Girls"

Lee Hyori has been killing it this year with all the songs and videos that she has put out. I love the pop art concept that is going on in this video and the back track sounds like something that you might hear in an old cartoon during a corny chase scene. I am also a fan of her newest video "Crazy". She is just furthering the fact that she is one of the queens of K-pop.

~ Alora

Lee Hi

This song is so pretty and it has a really different sound from a lot of other K-pop videos. It is a ballad, and while I don't usually go for ballads, I actually really like this one. I also like how the song is sung predominantly in her chest voice, it just gives the song a whole different feel from the popular sounds that K-pop is putting out right now.

~ Alora

I wish I had your voice award - Becca

Boys 

Heo Young Saeng "The Art of Seduction

I love this song so much. I haven't been listening to K-pop for too awfully long so I missed SS501, even though they don't really do it for me anyways, sorry. This song has a great funky kind of disco sound and it is also rocking the synths. This is one of the songs that makes me wish that I really could sing along with it and not just make up nonsensical words and sounds that sound similar. That being said I've been singing "I'm burning up yeah" during the chorus, apparently it's "Oppa neun eottae", who knew? Last note, I totally want crazy-stalker-kidnapper girls pink sweater. 

~ Alora

Roy Kim "Bom Bom Bom"

This was the first time that I had ever heard a Roy Kim song even though I had seen his name before on K-pop news sites. When I listened to this song, the first thing that came to mind when he started singing was "Oh my gosh it's the Korean John Denver" and I still stand by that. He has such a wonderfully smooth voice and can hit higher notes as well as deeper notes with ease. He can come and sing me to sleep any time. 

~ Alora

 Jae Joong "Mine"

I got into K-pop long after the whole DBSK fiasco, so I don't suffer from DBSK withdraws like so many others, even though I am quite fond of "Mirotic", but then again who isn't? I loved this song the second the first chord was played because this is the type of American music I listen to. This song is just so gritty and different from the super sexy electric feel that normally comes with K-pop. This song is definitely toeing the line between K-pop and J-rock and I absolutely love it. Keep doing this JaeJoong, because it's freaking awesome. 

~ Alora 

G-Dragon "Michi Go"

Oh G-Dragon, what would we do without your cracked out solo videos? Also, that pink elephant? Totally not subtle, is all. 

~ Alora

Why do all my friends say you look like a girl in this music video? award - Becca 

K.Will "Love Blossom"

I had heard K.Will songs before because he is the king of OSTs, but I had never actually sat down and really listened to a song or watched a video. This song was awesome though, it is one of those songs you listen to and think, "Yeah! Sometime it will stop snowing and being cold. The sun will come out and everything will be okay!" It is too bad that K.Will took a head shot from L though, even though it was a clever way to use an otherwise "unusable" singer in a video. Put K.Will in his own videos, dang it!  

~ Alora

Cleverest use of the artist in a music video award - Becca 

Jay Park "Joah" 

I don't listen to Jay Park because he tends to be a angry gangster rapper and I am not an angry gangster rap type of person. I was pleasantly surprised to hear this song though. It's so cute and, well, cute. Who knew right? I know that Jay Park is a phenomenal rapper, but I would not be sad to hear more songs like this because his voice is like butter. 

~ Alora 

Where did this soft side come from and how can I see it more often award - Becca  

 

 Sub Units 

I think that subunits are very similar to solo artists in the sense that you get to see something different that the usual concept that you are used to from a specific group. It showcases the talents of certain people that may be overshadowed in large vocal groups.There weren't a lot to pick from in this category, but from those few, these are who we really liked.

Boys 

 Infinite H "Special Girl"

I don't really listen to Infinite, the only thing I really knew about them was that L was in Shut Up! Flower Boys Band, but I really liked this song when it came out. I like the mix between the sung chorus and the rapped verses. I also decided that I really like Dongwoo because he had pink hair and, not to sound super weird or anything, he has really nice lips. 

~ Alora

Best dancing and swagger in a Sub Group music video award - Becca 

U-Beat "Should Have Treated You Better"

I have recently come to love U-Kiss so I was excited to hear the a sub group was going to be created. I liked that AJ and Eli were the main players in this sun group because rappers don't get a lot of stage time in a group. They usually come out for the bridge or do basic background rapping. Not this time though! AJ and Eli are getting their chance to shine in their very own sub group with a special appearance by Kevin.

~ Alora

Most upbeat sad song award - Becca

Girls 

 No love for female sub groups here, sorry.