#TWICE album review

[cosmicalily]

twice 5th japanese album "dive" review and ranking

1. ocean deep - i feel like this should have been the title track; as much as i love 'dive', this song feels a lot more like title track material, at least it feels more 'twice-y' in my eyes. the city pop influence in both this song and album is amazing, i think this works so well for twice, especially a japanese comeback since city pop is a retro japanese genre! i would've loved to see this as the title track to see the choreo they'd do for it, and i hope twice pursue this genre in more comebacks!

2. inside of me - the bsides on this album are a gift that keep on giving. as much as i loved 'with you-th', the album felt like it lacked a consistent concept, so i'm so glad that this album has such a strong identity and such cohesive yet unique bsides! literally not much else to say about this one; it was iconic and everything it needed to be.

3. peach soda - ooh i love this genre for twice! retro but with a bit of electronic funk, it's the perfect blend of familiar with something a bit new. i love the chorus so much, the in between verses feel a bit empty to me, but the chorus is so good it makes up for it. definitely want to see more bsides like this in the future!

4. echoes of heart - this reminds me a bit of "butterflies" by skz and reinforces my love for japanese comeback bsides! this just felt super lighthearted and chill, but not boring at all. i love songs like this so much, they feel like sitting in a cafe and just being with your thoughts! very wholesome and an easy listen.

5. beyond the horizon - i love this! this was the perfect intro song for this album; it reminds me of the ocean during sunrise, a little darker than the usual bubbly twice track and i think it's so beautiful. it's got the perfect bside formula, and the simplicity of the instrumental means their vocals really shine through well with this! this song also makes me very nostalgic for the 2010s, it feels like it fits that kind of era of music so well with the guitar and beat! love this one

6. love warning - ugh they're always dropping a cunty track like this (see; last waltz, go hard, wallflower, trouble, bloom) this absolutely devoured and served its purpose! i hope they do some kind of choreography for this song because i feel like it would be stunning, especially the part near the end that would be PERFECT for a dance break (momo would eat). please please please release some kind of performance video for this twice!!! i'm begging. BEGGING!

7. here i am - okay we love a SECOND cunty track?? i love when twice experience with a darker genre for a bside, it's always so well put together. i also feel like the strength of nayeon, jeongyeon and jihyo's vocals always suit tracks like this. it's such a banger and i love all the harmonies (anyone who knows me knows im the biggest hoe for a twice harmony moment). she came. she devoured. not a single crumb left.

8. dive - it took a minute for me to actually like this song, at the start it felt a bit too chill to be a title track? but then i remembered that i felt the exact same way about "doughnut" and now that's one of my favourite songs! learning that title tracks don't need to be the most energetic track of the album, they just need to set the mood, and this 100% does that! it's a bit of a change from a band that does very dancy title tracks, but i feel like it showcases their vocals really well. however, after listening to the rest of the album, 'dive' doesn't stand out anymore the way a title track normally does. it just felt a little empty in comparison to some of the other tracks in this album, especially when compared to 'hare hare', a very bubbly comeback song. it's a beautiful song, but just doesn't feel like a title track to me. this would have been an incredible intro song i feel.

9. hare hare - this is only in this ranking because it was a pre released comeback! trust that this is one of my favourite twice tracks; i was so excited when this was released after 'set me free'; i do love the mature concept for twice, but the genre shift felt a bit too sharp for them considering how girly and 'cute' their recent comebacks had been prior to its release. this felt like a response to 'kura kura' and i loved how much energy was in this track! the dance was also super cute and fun (i couldn't stop doing it)

10. dance again - this was lowkey such a random release welp but i do love it. i feel like it isn't memorable enough to be a single though; i feel like it needs an additional track to really set the mood and make it make sense. even having this as a bside for hare hare would have made a bit more sense (although i know this was released for their japanese christmas promotions with familymart) it does fit the vibe of this album very well though so i'm glad they popped it on here!

[viir-tanadhal]

am i simply cursed to not find a hotspot review that i like

[married-2-the-music]

(K-pop By Color) Red: Screw It, Let's Dance

K-pop, organized by the hyper-specific kind of categorizing that makes up my playlists. Don’t take it too seriously and have a nice laugh (and listen) with me. Enjoy the chaos!

(For other Special Features, click here)

Upbeat disco and synth that drags you onto the dance floor, whether you think you want to be there or not. Think Catallena by Orange Caramel, Mago by Gfriend, or Figaro by 9Muses. Or, think Man I Feel Like A Woman by Shania Twain, Die Young by Kesha, or Hot To Go by Chappell Roan.

[lovejustforaday]

2022 Year End List - #6

Once Twice Melody - Beach House

Main Genres: Dream Pop, Indie Pop, Neo-Psychedelia

A decent sampling of: Ethereal Wave, Synth Pop, Shoegaze, Indietronica

Can’t believe that it’s taken me this long to do a Beach House review. I mean, just look at the record I’m holding in my profile pic. It’s about damn time, I’ll say.

For those not in the know, Beach House are a dream pop duo based out of Baltimore, Maryland. There is guitarist Alex Scally and vocalist/keyboardist Victoria Legrand, both primary songwriters.

Beach House is known for largely leading the wave of renewed interest in dream pop amongst a whole new generation in the 2010s, and it’s safe to say that they’re probably one of the three or four biggest names in indie rock of the last decade. Hell, there’s footage on YouTube of frigging Beyoncé and Jay Z vibing in the audience at one of their shows at Coachella.

Beach House’s typical sound is marked by the following: warm retro organs, slide guitars, minimalist drum machine beats, a generous amount of reverb, Legrand’s earthy but soft contralto vocals, poignant and sentimental lyrics, and of course, major viiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiibes.

Alex and Victoria are notable as artists for their clear dedication to developing their signature sound organically, opting to explore new avenues of their sonic palette here and there rather than reinventing themselves entirely. Yes, the essential components and formula of the Beach House record have remained largely the same from the band’s self-titled debut all the way up until now. Yet, at the same time, the band has evolved in a multitude of ways, and each of their albums manages to sound quite distinct from each other despite maintaining similar base elements.

I, for one, really admire that Beach House treats their albums more like different expressions of a persisting musical approach, like an artist using the same paint brush and many of the same colours to create very different paintings. Using their essential components, Beach House have created records that range anywhere in sound from the expansive, youthful wanderlust of Teen Dream to the cozy, elegant melancholy of Depression Cherry and the cool, hypnotic twilight of 7.

I also greatly admire the firm stance that Alex and Victoria have taken in that they will continue to make the music that they love, exactly as they would like to, largely removed from the context of their time. It helps that the band has a very loyal following, and as an aside, are generally some of the coolest people you will ever meet.

But I digress. What to make of their latest record? Well...

Once Twice Melody is the most ornate, maximalist, and monumental album of Beach House’s discography thus far. The record takes on a distinctly fairytale aesthetic, with glittering, majestic arpeggios and glissandos, more string arrangements than the band has ever previously incorporated, and a sense of regal polish that defines the mastering and production. The album is divided into (and was released as) four separate 'chapters', much like a storybook. This is probably why it is also Beach House’s longest record to date, almost 1.5 times as long as their next longest record Bloom.

Chapter one opens with the title track "Once Twice Melody", which heralds the beginning of an enchanting dream, with prancing chimes that dance around like flashing colours behind closed eyes. It becomes immediately apparent that Beach House are looking to deliver something more mythical and epic on this record, and “Once Twice Melody” more than exceeds in setting that tone.

If Beach House’s now-signature "Space Song" off of Depression Cherry was a song fixed among the stars and floating in tranquility, then Once Twice Melody's “Superstar” is a rocket preparing for blast off, with all of the necessary fanfare in the form of arena rock melodies, exuberant orchestral strings, and a soaring bridge that leads into a gravity-defying outro. It is the most massive sound the band has yet achieved, beating out even “10 Mile Stereo” and “Irene” in its sheer sonic magnitude.

“Pink Funeral” is an unearthly paradise of a song, like watching a rain of shooting stars turn into colourful puffy smoke clouds. The whole thing washes over the listener in a beautiful unicorn shade of neo-psychedelia.

Chapter two features “ESP” as a slow, teary-eyed dream pop serenade with earnest strings, cushiony in sound and immaculately compassionate in its atmosphere, as if trying to alleviate all the misunderstandings in life. Victoria Legrand demonstrates her knack for imparting simple truths with the simple but brilliant lyrical motif “What everybody knows / Not everybody shows”. Another one of the highest highs on the record.

Marked by a fluffy feel-good melody, bright sparkly synths, and a steady hi-hat drum machine beat, “New Romance” is essentially a lost Bloom track. I don’t mean this in a bad way, mind you; it’s actually one of the best cuts off the album, and it makes feel incredibly nostalgic for the summer when I first started listening to Beach House.

Chapter three’s greatest highlight is “Masquerade", a dark and dreamy labyrinth of electronic ethereal wave. Very cool sci-fi-meets-gothic sound, not entirely unlike a Depeche Mode song. Somewhat of an occult anthem for a mysterious, morally ambiguous heroine, and I absolutely love it.

The final fourth chapter and record itself closes with “Modern Love Stories”, a cinematic and flourishing dream pop ballad that climaxes, and then dissolves into an acoustic guitar melody that flies off into the night sky of an open desert highway. I could (and will) point out that it gives off quite a similar impression as an album closer to 7′s “Last Ride”, albeit with a much less depressing, more uplifting spirit. Either way, it’s still gorgeous in its own right, and “Last Ride” remains my favourite Beach House closer, so I'm more than happy that they did it again.

As for my one real critique of the record, all I can say is this: Front. Loaded. Chapters one and two are significantly more consistent than chapters three and four. Then again, I can’t say I would prefer the album to be edited down; the whole point of this record is clearly that it is meant to be Beach House’s ginormous opus album, and I appreciate the concept and wouldn’t want to change that.

And this is still Beach House we’re talking about, a band who outmatches about 99% of all bands when it comes to consistent quality. Likewise, talking about the consistency between tracks on a Beach House record is really like splitting hairs at the end of the day, although its frontloadedness is still plainly noticeable to me.

Regardless, I will always be thrilled for another new Beach House record. This might not really even be my second or third favourite project by them, but Once Twice Melody must be acknowledged for the landmark album that it has become in the band’s discography. It is great to see that eight albums in, Alex and Victoria are feeling more adventurous than ever before. A highly recommended listen for anyone looking to lose themselves in a lush fantasy world.

9/10

Highlights: “Superstar”, “ESP”, "Pink Funeral", “New Romance”, “Masquerade”, "Once Twice Melody", “Modern Love Stories”, “Runaway”, “Through Me”, “Sunset”, “Many Nights”

[lunaarorbiter]

MEGAN MIXTAPE YAYAYAYAYYA #MEGANACTII

[opinavina]

NA - NAYEON

Ouvir K-pop às vezes é uma experiência variada: às vezes ruim, às vezes ótima, às vezes surpreendente. Não sei nem o porquê do "às vezes" - ouço mais K-pop do que pop ocidental, para falar a verdade.

Sempre gostei da Nayeon, e todo mundo já sabia que ela seria a primeira do Twice a ter um solo. Confesso que não ouvi o mini-álbum de estreia dela, só o single, e é tudo o que a Nayeon transmite para o público: uma mulher divertida, alegre, que às vezes é meio atrevida, e tá tudo bem.

Não dá para esperar letras muito espalhafatosas ou profundas vindo dela e, de modo geral, do K-pop. Sei que algumas são, mas não é o caso aqui. Entretanto, até que as composições do "NA" não são de todo ruins; é algo bem adulto, na verdade. Eventualmente, fica meio constrangedor, mas dá para relevar tranquilamente essas doses de romantismo meloso adolescente, que só aparecem em uma música.

A produção é muito boa. É leve e ao mesmo tempo sensual, daí volta para algo mais despretensioso. Ótimo. O álbum serve muito bem para isso: ouvir só para ficar cantando e dançando. Esteticamente falando, o K-pop é muito visual e isso contribui muito para elevar o nível do disco. Ponto para a JYP.

Em suma, o "NA" transmite o que a Nayeon sempre passa para a gente: leveza e despretensão. O álbum flui de forma tão natural que, quando você percebe, ele já acabou. Leve, gostoso e natural, como a coelhinha.

DESTAQUE – “Heaven ft. Sam Kim” e “Count It” FILLER – “HalliGalli” e “Something”

CAPA – 7,0 PRODUÇÃO – 7,7 ESTÉTICA – 8,0 COMPOSIÇÃO – 7,1 NOTA FINAL – 7,0

[pronouncedsteven]

A quick K-pop packaging design review of TWICE 'With YOU-th' album from a graphic designer's lens

[musicalthought]

album review; nayeon's im nayeon (2022)

♡ fav song: candyfloss

♡ least fave song: all or nothing

♡ overall: 7/10

Song by Song Review Under the Cut

Pop! -> 6/10 Honestly? Could be better. I get why they chose it as the title, but it’s a tad bit lackluster compared to the rest of the album.

No Problem -> 8/10 It sounds like what modern day K-pop companies envision the American pop culture of the 80s to sound like. But, modern. If that makes sense. I downloaded this track to my personal playlist.

Love Countdown -> 7/10 Any song that features Wonstein has my heart. I downloaded this one, as well.

Candyfloss -> 10/10 Amazing beat, amazing bridge, super bubbly… should’ve been the title. I downloaded this one, too.

All or Nothing -> 4/10 I wish it went somewhere.

Happy Birthday to You -> 6/10 I love the chill vibe, and that “na na na” part, but it has the same critiques as the last track.

Sunset -> 6/10 I love the chill vibe, but it dragged :( 

[cosmicalily]

nayeon - 'na' mini album review + ranking

'something' - when i heard the audio teaser for this, i was immediately SO excited. then when i heard the start of this song, i was even more excited. 'SAY MY NAME' who?? that guitar SCREAMS iconic y2k track. i love this genre for twice (see basics & rush) and i feel like the way this track was produced works SO well for the overall vibe of the album. liquid drum and bass (at least the very simple, dreamy style of it) has become almost a bit overdone in my opinion due to the newjeansification of kpop (not dealing with that here) but the use of the guitar in the background gives it that iconic y2k feeling similar to destiny's child and tlc. i think overall this is a really easy to listen to track, however i definitely did expect a little more from it after listening to the audio snippet. would've loved more of the nayeon rap because that's what i was most excited for!

'count it' - this is so dreamy, it reminds me a bit of 'wishing on you' from jihyo's solo album, which is one of my favs. i love a slow nayeon song that solely focuses on her super sweet, smooth vocals and i feel like it's nice to hear her lower voice for a change too, especially bc jyp absolutely makes her (and jihyo) work overtime with those high ass adlibs in their group songs. this was honestly everything i wanted from this song; slow, an easy listen, beautiful, minimal production that still doesn't feel boring or repetitive, and that ending was honestly my fave thing EVER! could listen to it on repeat, and most definitely will. it felt like the perfect outro song for this album too.

'magic' - that prechorus is SO delicious oh my god! nayeon and julie is literally giving the kpop version of every iconic collab in the 2010s between an insane vocalist and badass rapper (i'm thinking nikki minaj, ariana grande, iggy azalea before she got cancelled lol) however, i actually don't love the chorus as much as i was hoping! it definitely fits the vibe of the song but i feel like it didn't entirely live up to my expectations for it. of course, julie's vocals are absolutely insane, i'll never not go on about them, and nayeon absolutely ate! i feel like this track again matches the late 2000s vibes i'm getting from the album, with a little more this would have 110% been my favourite song.

'abcd' - NAYONCE WHO??? i'm actually not joking at all, this was absolutely what the kpop industry needed. that very typical young, teenager-y y2k concept has honestly been entirely overdone (yk what i'm talking about, every girl group and their mother's been a victim of it welp) so i'm SO GLAD that icons like kiss of life and now nayeon have decided to bring back mature y2k! we need trashy! we need camp! we need intense instrumentals and sassy raps and lyrics! pop was so cute and i adore it for her, but i love seeing the more adult concept for nayeon too, esp bc she's almost 30 now and i feel like she needed something a little more. this feels very very very much like crazy in love by beyonce, which kind of does unsettle me a little, it's not a bad thing but that song is VERY iconic so it feels like a very tricky song to try and replicate even when its done a bit differently, because there's always gonna be comparisons regardless and a song like that just cannot be outdone, no matter how iconic nayeon is. however, it's different to all the recent releases we've had in kpop so imma let it slide. also, i was VERY disappointed by the fact that this track, the TITLE TRACK, was less than three minutes. why tf are ALL of the bsides longer?? the math is not mathing. i was really hoping short song syndrome wouldn't hit 3rd gen kpop but apparently it has, which is actually so sucky. also i highkey hate jyp's promotion methods bc y'all did NOT need to spoil the entire chorus?? like i would've enjoyed this so much more if it was a suprise yk. that felt like a really dumb move especially when there wasn't even a super different crazy end chorus so that felt like a bad decision but oh well. solid title track, 9/10 (-2 for the shortness of the song and promotions). and final thoughts, i feel like jihyo also would've eaten this concept up. after seeing namoji perform 10 minutes, i've been needing them to do a song as a subunit and i feel like this would've fitted them as a trio SO well.

'halligalli' - she's cute, she's bubbly, but not too childish either. she JUST fits into this album's concept in my opinion, and it feels like the classic twice bside recipe (this isn't a bad thing, but it does sound like something i've heard before from twice and it fits into their discography well). however, sticking to the classics isn't a bad thing at all, often if you have all new genres an album can feel daunting and too diverted from the identity you felt the artist was originally showing. so i think this is a very safe but cute track. it'll go on my playlist, but i feel like she's a tiny bit forgettable.

'butterflies' - can someone explain to me why this wasn't on the 'im nayeon' album? because this SCREAMS that concept. it's super cute and very nayeon-esque, but i feel like it takes away from the more mature concept this album was leaning towards? it feels very teenage y2k lovesong, which is super cute, but this album was gearing more towards iconic y2k artists in their adult prime so i feel like this doesn't quite resonate with that. i'll definitely listen to it because it's a good track, but probably not in conjunction with the rest of the album since it doesn't fit my mental vibe for it lmao.

'heaven' - out of the two slow tracks, 'count it' was honestly my favourite. i think its also because this song was fully english and it felt like an overload of entirely english songs in this album, which is lowkey weird for me to say as an international fan, but it feels like twice is trying too hard to globalise its audience and is forgetting about their initial fanbase. like twice has been doing one english track in their albums for a bit now, but even the title track for this album was very english heavy and so were most of the bsides. three out of six bsides were english, and the others still have a lot of english lyrics. anyways, it just didn't stick out to me as much as the other songs, still very sweet and nice to listen to but not particularly outstanding in my eyes. it'll definitely end up on my playlist though!

let me know your opinions on this comeback. i personally adore this image for nayeon and think it was overall a solid album!

[minimusics]

TWICE - Ready to Be

I feel bad about it, but I preferred TWICE when they were doing the cutesy stuff early in their career. This sexier, somewhat tropical-sounding stuff doesn't linger with me, though the disco influences are fun.

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genre: pop, kpop year: 2023

personal rating: 5 (out of 10)

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Why this album? There are some TWICE songs that I LOVE and want more of them.

[married-2-the-music]

A Kpop Fan's Favorite Pop From Around The World

Though this is a k-pop blog, first and foremost, I enjoy music from all around the world, in a dozen different languages. (With a bias to English and German, because I actually speak those). So here are those albums, if you're interested! This page is pop, from Rina Sawayama to Taylor Swift.

(For all best albums, click here)

(For all non-Kpop, click here)

Straight pop, being in the name, is pretty common in k-pop; it covers Latin pop, noise music, retro sounds, and so much more. It's often thought of as being bubbly, dancy, and effervescent. Think What Is Love by TWICE, Step by KARA, or Married To The Music by SHINee.

[tiredkilljoy]

The Harry house album is just as good as you think it is.

I have - not a rage path but a set route I take when driving my car at night to stop myself from screaming in my room when I am stressed. Added on an unplanned detour literally in the last 500yards of my route home when the song late night talking came on shuffle.

The entire album is exceptional- no doubt. It won album of the year at the Grammys we know it’s good.

But after listening to so much music over the last year and seeing our fruit man tour the world with this album. It’s just so much better to listen to now- then it was on its first play. Which is something astounding for sure when you factor in the literal deluge of music that has come out in the last year.

So yeah- a nice reminder to give Harry’s house another listen! I’m firmly in the team of listening to this album - it sounds like someone falling out of love in a relationship.

Happy 1 year Harold. I hope you enjoy your last Love on Tour dates!

P.s. I am FUCKING PISSED I NEVER GOT TO HEAR MEDICINE LIVE. I SAW HIM AT N1 in WEMBLEY LAST YEAR AND HAD TICKETS FOR COVENTRY THIS MONTH- I HAD TO SELL THE COV ONES BECAUSE OF MY EXAMS AND MISSED HIM PLAYING IT. I will be passing away 😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩

[averagekpoppermideko87]

Twice 'Moonlight Sunrise' | Review

Twice 'Moonlight Sunrise' is an English single from their 'READY TO BE' 12th Mini Album. The single and music video came out in January of this year.