Unicorn Jukebox

GOT7 is a 7 member boy group under JYP Entertainment that debuted in 2014. Eyes on You is their 8th mini album, and just like their previous albums they had a part in writing and producing. The title track “Look” is one of their most successful singles since their debut.

Let’s take a moment and break it down track by track

One and Only You ft. Hyolyn: I thought this was a really good track to start the album off with. It showcases the funky feel that is utilized further throughout the album. It also has a little bit of an old school R&B feel, which is really fun. I liked how the song felt very much like a duet between a man and a woman versus a feature. It was a new and refreshing approach.

Look: This track again takes on the funky feel that was in the first track, but with a little more of a fresh style. Overall I felt like the song was fairly standard generic kpop title track. I did watch the music video previously, and nothing really stood out to me from watching it. I do think that the slowing down of the bridge has a really cool effect.

The Reason: This was a really peculiar song. When it first starts you think that it is going to be a ballad, but then picks up and changes. Then suddenly there is a rap breakdown. It’s cool that they tried to do something a little innovative and different, but I was not really feeling it.

Hesitating: This song was one of my favorite on the album. I thought the funky bass backing track was really cute. I also really liked the usage of silence in the second verse. Overall it was a really cute funky song.

Us: Again this song features a funky feel to it. I really like how they are very obviously influenced by funky throughout the album, but all of the tracks sound very distinct. I love Jackson’s voice in this song particularly.

Thank you: I love when artists make the choice to end their album on a ballad. I think it is such a bold choice and love when it is done well, as it is here. This song was definitely my favorite on the album and the whispered ‘Thank you’ at the end of the track was so cute and put the perfect ending to the album.

Overall Rating: B+

Hey~~~~~

You have no idea how completely excited I am to be able to review this album!!!! I have been actively waiting for this album to be released for over 6 months now. In case you don’t know, J-Hope is a member of the kpop sensational boy group, BTS. He has been teasing the release of the album for what feels like forever, and he dropped it last week.  This release has set a bunch of records on the Billboard charts including debuting at number 63 on the Billboard 200 chart, which is the highest for any solo kpop artist. To make that number even more impressive the album was released with only 14 hours left to be counted in that week’s Billboard 200. And with that let’s get into the track by track review 🙂

Hope World: It starts off with a really fun retro feel, which will be repeated throughout the whole album. I loved the start and I feel it really set up the listener to what the rest of the album would be like, and what J-Hope’s personal style is. J-Hope learned producing through his time in BTS so it was really cool to see him put his personality into the music and create something that truly reflected who he is versus who BTS is. Bonus fun fact: Hope World is the name of J-Hope’s studio 🙂

P.O.P. (Piece of Peace) pt. 1: The titling of this is super cute. It refers to the fact that J-Hope hopes to continue this thought in his future music, and also speaks to his personality and how he wishes to bring happiness to many people. It has a very relaxed backing track, but it never feels slow. The overall style transports you to a colorful world. This track also does a good job of highlighting J-Hope’s vocal ability as well as his flow as a rapper.

Daydream: This was the first song released off the album with an accompanying music video. Again we are greeting with a fun retro vibe throughout the whole song. You can easily picture yourself grooving out to this song at a roller disco. This song I believe is a perfect example of how J-Hope takes very interesting approaches to his rap flow. He tends to utilize space and pitch changes often versus relying on clever wording or trying to be the fastest. Also the use of the alarm clock sound effect is a super cute touch.

Base Line: First of all this song is not nearly long enough for how good it is! I am really glad it is included because it begins to show the other side of J-Hope that is heavily influenced by R&B and hip hop. This song acts as a good transition from Daydream to Hangsang making the album even more cohesive.

Hangsang feat. Supremeboi: I’m so glad that J-Hope decided to include Supremeboi on this track because he does not get nearly enough recognition for all of his work. (He’s a main producer for BTS and actually almost debuted with them). This song is something that most people would expect to be on a rapper’s mixtape, yet still retaining all of the J-Hope flavor. This is his way of saying, I can play the mixtape game your way too. I love this song so much and think it does everything you want from it. It’s the type of song you turn on when you are pre-gaming to go out for the night.

Airplane: This was the second single off of the album. I love how the backing vocals are done by the other members of BTS. This track goes back to the fun retro feel that we had in the beginning of the album. I’m glad that he set it up this way because it creates full circle effect that is very effective. This is definitely the most laid back song on the album, which kind of gives it this first class vibe. But, to be honest this is probably my least favorite song on the album, but it is still really good. I just don’t really see myself putting it in any of my playlists or reaching for it on its own.

Blue Side (Outro): I’m a huge fan of intros and outros to begin with so I am very happy that he included this. I think it is a fantastic way to showcase the fact that your thoughts on the album are concluded and brought around. It acts almost as a landing point for everyone to come home after visiting ‘Hope World’. I did hear that he had actually made this as a full song first and then cut it down to an outro, which definitely makes me wonder what the full track would be like.

Overall I thought this was a fantastic album that actually lived up to hype. I do wish it was a bit longer, but I can’t actually think of anything that is missing from the album. As far as a first mixtape from someone whose first love is dancing, this is absolutely phenomenal and I can’t wait to see what else will come from J-Hope and BTS in the future.

Safe Travels~~~~~ 🙂

Hey!

I know last week was kind of spotty with blog posts. It was my birthday week and I decided I wanted to take a week off of listening to new music and just listen to what I had already put into playlists. But, I am back and really missed listening to new music, so we’re back in full swing this week 🙂

This album is the first mini album by South Korean artist, BoA. But, don’t let the fact that this is her first mini album confuse you because she is a veteran-ed performer in the kpop world. In fact she is often referred to as the Queen of Kpop and has been a staple in the kpop industry since 2000.

As far as my experience with BoA before listening to this album, I hadn’t listened to any of her albums in full before this one. I did see her performance at the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMAs) and did watch both of the music videos (One Shot, Two Shot & Nega Dola) before listening to the album.

Now for the track by track breakdown:

One Shot Two Shot: It has a very funny and catchy vibe to it that definitely makes you want to dance, which it makes a lot of sense that this is the lead single off of the album. It did feel a bit generic to me, it didn’t really possess any flair to it that was interesting or different than anything on the kpop market currently. It also felt like it went on just a hair too long and I found myself become bored with the track by the end of it.

Everybody Knows: I liked this track a lot better than the first one. I felt that this one was more in BoA’s wheelhouse. It was a little softer and had a more chill feel versus the first track, but it still retained all the presence that BoA has.

Nega Dola: I think the music video really adds to this song. It’s really cool to see a female idol dance in a style that reminds me a lot of Jay Park. This track has a tropical feel to it and is still really catchy and fun. But, overall a better style than the first track.

Your Song: This song features Junoflo, who I had never heard of before, but will have to check out because he has a very good voice and flow. It was a very smooth and sexy track, and I think this is the concept that fits BoA the best currently. I think this might be my favorite song on the album because it does a good job of showing off her voice.

Recollection: This was an interesting track because it had a very 80s feel to it. I like when artists aren’t afraid to through it back to a different era to show off their talents. I think this was stylistically the most interesting track on the album.

Always, All Ways: First of all the title is really cute, and I appreciate a cute title. This was another smooth and sexy track that is definitely more her style, and I’m glad. This one verged more on the 90s R&B side which I think is an even better fit for her.

Camo: I’m glad she ended the album on a fun upbeat song that had a really interesting chorus. This was probably my favorite “single” off of the album. It was definitely the classic pop/dance feel to it, but there was enough variation that it was interesting to listen to and didn’t feel generic

Overall I thought it was a pretty decent album. There weren’t any tracks that I didn’t like on it, but there also weren’t any tracks that I loved. One thing that I think would have elevated the album to me would have been the inclusion of a ballad. You can tell by these songs that she has an incredible voice, but she doesn’t get a moment to truly show it off.

Rating: B

Link to album:

Hi!

So this Monday’s post isn’t an international album, but instead a SoundCloud rapper by the name of Love-SadKid. If you haven’t heard of them, don’t worry you are not alone. They are a 15 year old rapper with an impressive 120,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. This album also features Dahm, which is another SoundCloud rapper/producer. I personally have never heard of Dahm before, but I have been following Love-SadKid for three albums now. I have been consistently impressed by everything they have put out, and even more so when I found out they were only 15 years old. This is the second album of his that is titled Constellations. I gave the first one a B rating as it had a lot of solid tracks on it.

Rating: B

Link to Albums:

Empty Space: Cute little interlude to start the album off with.

Stop Sign: This track didn’t really do anything for me. I didn’t really stand out to me at all.

Bye Bye Bye: I really like this one it’s super fun beat and a really good flow.

Show U How: I like how this one instantly slowed down and created a different feel to the album.

Slow Jam. I think the flow between ‘Show U How’ and this track was very smooth and worked really well in succession. I really like the rap that comes in half way through the track. It has really good flow and character to it.

Summer Love: It’s a cute song with a nice chill beat. Just like the title suggests it has a very summer sound to it which makes it feel a little out of place on an album that is released in the heart of winter, but in general it’s a nice end to the album sound wise.

Overall, this wasn’t my favorite Love-Sadkid album to date, but I thought it was still a fairly good album. I didn’t necessarily love the individual tracks too much, but I really liked the structure that was very apparent throughout the album. It stars off fun and upbeat then suddenly slows down with ‘Show U How’. From that point on the songs just seem to coast into one another perfectly.

If you are a fan of Hip Hop, I would suggest jumping on the Love-Sadkid train because in a couple years they are going to be the next big thing.