#this choreo is so cool and powerful i like it a lot

[captain-is-king]

okay i didn’t want to annoy anyone with a stream of consciousness live-blogging of the episodes which CAME OUT TONIGHT!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!!

so here are the notes i took while watching if anyone wants to scream with me please feel free to do so

EDIT: HOLY SHIT IM A FUCKING IDIOT CHRIS IS CHRIS RODRIGUEZ!!! I WASNT EXPECTING HIM THIS SOON IN THE SERIES AT ALL. oh god and percy being friends with him now makes the betrayal so much worse oh shit oh man.

episode one:

- blackjack was percy seeing through the mist oh my god

- MYTHOMAGIC

- THIGHTY WHITIES

- oh my god they just trade sandwich toppings. that is so cute what the fuck

- grover psychanalyzing people. yes. good.

- mrs. dodds scene was underwhelming but that’s okay (edit: fight choreo is absolutely phenomenal the rest of the time)

- i am GASPING out loud at grover telling the headmaster

- obviously he’s doing it because it’s not safe for percy

- but WOOOOOOW

- eddie! what a cameo lmao

- i like that sally appears to argue with gabe more but also i’m worried she isn’t going to fucking murder gabe. it’s important to me that she kills that guy.

- also upset that percy probably won’t say “i know gabe would like to offer everyone in this lovely city free appliances” at the end

- near the septic tanks interesting detail to include 👀

- percy judging so hard like “you’re telling me found jesus”

- oh interesting the mist is responsible for grover which honestly makes more sense than hiding it? like if the mist takes care of monsters why not satyrs

- boys? i’m actually 24 I LOVE HIM

- mythomagic as training is fun

- would’ve been cooler if he swore on the styx and there was thunder but that’s okay

- omg i didn’t even realize his rain jacket was actually red until now. SUCH a good detail

- good animation of the minotaur very good

- oh my god the fight was the same like i could SEE the words on the page as i was watching it

- HE MUST BE THE ONE

- i grinned like a FOOL through the whole credits they’re so beautiful oh my god

episode two reactions under the cut!!!! i loved episode one but i liked episode two EVEN MORE so i have a lot of things to say.

episode two:

- annabeth just watching percy sleep with her arms crossed. she would.

- YOU DROOL WHEN YOU SLEEP oh my god the way she says it is like. so calculating. i always pictured it like a flippant thing in the book but no she’s like. angry. like it’s a remark on his character and she will use this detail to take him down in battle and it’s perfect and funny

- oh my god he’s turning away so grover doesn’t see him crying. i feel like this is a detail in the book somewhere but now i can’t find it happening so maybe i’m just losing it

- ok so the big house is not what i ever pictured but it is gorgeous and i love this version of it

- the diet coke

- but did you?

- he’s starting with me

- excuse me your highness

- dad? yes peter. it’s percy. exactly

- the audacity of mr. d. i’m obsessed

- “why must you ruin everything”

- omg the owls

- oh the cabins are so cool

- like one thing i never was able to picture was how camp was laid out and i just am eating so well this is so fun to look at

- I KNOW WHAT YOURE GOING THROUGH he really does though doesn’t he FUCK now i’m emotionally

- holy shit juniper????

- LMAO okay definitely not juniper she looks much older

- council of cloven elders is so much spookier than i thought

- mmmmm grover figured it out interesting

- also apparently names don’t have power. i mean that is the stance in heroes of olympus they did not care about names. so i get it

- so like. this is kronos? looking like the grim reaper in percy’s dreams?

- ok honestly the lack of annabeth so far is very upsetting

- mmmm “glory” interesting, luke

- who is this spunky kid with the hair

- YES. YES WHEELCHAIR USING DEMIGOD YES!!!

- idk why but them just using lighters takes me out of it. but it made me laugh

- yesssss hephaestus kids my beloved

- spunky kid with the hair is chris. NOW WHO THE FUCK IS CHRIS

- holy shit this is so sad. percy alone in the woods burning his candy

- OH MY GOD FOR HIS MOM oh my god i’m not going to survive this episode

- “i think i’ve made some friends here”

- oh this is too much. it’s giving “good kid” energy from the musical

- YES angry percy. i always felt like the musical emphasized how like. angry and upset percy was at his dad. obviously it’s a huge plot point in the book but it feels like more apparent in the musical and i always LOVED that about the musical so of course i LOVE that it is being emphasized in the show as well

- if percy doesn’t cut off medusas head and mail it to olympus after this and trying so hard to get his dad’s attention it will be SUCH a letdown i have to say it i’m sorry

- good bathroom scene. GOOD bathroom scene.

- are you stalking me annabeth

- yes

- oh i’m so in love with her

- like we knew she’d be phneomenal. but we’d seen so little of her in promo stuff!!! and i HAVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG TO SEE MY GIRL!!!!! AND HERE SHE FUCKING IS!!!!!!

- also saying annabeth is the head of the athena cabin and seeing tiny little annabeth is SO. funny. like we all knew it was funny that a twelve year old was in charge but SEEING it makes it so painfully obvious

- “she’s my little sister”

- they call them forbidden kids that’s a little silly but that’s fine

- also i enjoy that they’re talking about thalia-luke-annabeth earlier

- BABY ANNABETH HIDING IN AN ALLEY. oh i hope we get to actually SEE this scene one day because i do love it so

- “can you ask her to knock it off.” obsessed.

- these waterfalls are SO. cool. the one thing the descriptions of camp were always missing. i love a waterfall

- the kid playing the war drums has me laughing out loud

- laughing OUT LOUD at percy. flossing and peeing and whistling

- oh my god a lizard. i would too.

- just laying down. picking at a leaf

- i just noticed he actually has vans. skater!percy lives

- GUESS ILL LOSE DESERT PRIVILEGES good book line so glad it’s in here

- the fight choreo is SO. GOOD

- “NOT BAD HERO” ALSO GOOD BOOK LINE

- you were here the whole time and you didn’t help me? yes. what is wrong with you!!

- oh i love her SO. much. i love them both so fucking much

- one of my FAVORITE lines is “poseidon, earthshaker stormbringer. hail perseus jackson son of the sea god” and i’m so glad we got it

- i like jason mantzoukas because, like that post about gene wilder, you can really believe he’d let those kids die

- also one of my favorite scenes is annabeth being invisible in the big house the whole time percy is being offered a quest and chiron is like “someone already offered to go with you” and annabeth takes her hat off to reveal she has been there the whole time. and it’s always been so funny to me but i don’t mind that the humor of it was still maintained in the scene after capture the flag being altered a little bit. and we still got “not bad hero”

- oh shit are we not getting the oracle. i guess it makes sense. it’s a lot of time when someone can just tell percy they think it’s hades but like. actually. BETRAYED BY ONE WHO CALLS YOU A FRIEND!! FAIL TO SAVE WHAT MATTERS MOST!! ITS KIND OF IMPORTANT and the oracle is like a very important plot point later

- I AM SALLY JACKSON’S SON. YOU TELL THEM

[kindred-spirit-93]

way down hadestown

listening to hadestown bc ofc i am lol. its not like i have significantly more important and career determining things to be focusing on.

and this is my first time so im really enjoying the litte bits and bobs i can make out before eventually venturing into commentary and further content made for and about the musical someday

a few things so far i reeeeeeeeeally liked lol

euridice has the voice of a freaking angel i love her (the note she hit at harbour me? omg. also flowers is my favourite song hehe)

speaking of flowers persephone is such a gremlin and i love that for her. funny fluid body language and at times cheeky. good soup

her voice reminds me a lot of zira lol. scratchy vocals at time but smoother than a petal! adore her performance. i also want her bag

hades' voice dropping 17 octaves when hes wearing his sunglasses is so funny to me for some reason lol. ugh he really has a grimey vulture-y vibe to him. very cool and demanding presence tho

also him calling the workers my children whereas seph refers to orpheus at some point as brother is very interesting to me

on todays episode of it probably wasnt that deep but i brought a shovel anyway: aside from being a funny concept (and new to me lol), i think its fascinating to have seph associated so with wine. it made me think of dionysus at first, which made me think of the myths where zagreus is dio, and zagreus is persephones son. idk i just thought it was neat

hermes is the shit man i love his sweet but sarcastic old man energy. snazzy suits too he slays so hard

the fates!!! awesome dresses i need them immediately

idk what the style/ genre is called (blues???) but the note at pennies on the drum is the best thing ive heard in a while. powerful vocals, very kickass

never realised how hard it must be to be belting notes and doing full choreo as well. and in heels? my god hats off to them i cant walk properly in them lol

the set is beautiful the floor rotates and the lights and everything! so much work was lovingly put into it all and im so here for it

will add as i go on lol but have this for now

[atiny-for-life]

Xikers Full Storyline Explained - Part 4

Masterlist

We Don’t Stop

Before we begin, I'd like to point out that the first track on the album is already providing us with some additional information

By titling it "Trial and Error (whereabouts)", we're already getting a hint toward the setting of the video/album (this also plays into Xikers' entire concept which I explained here) and the instrumental itself is very much in line with other music we've heard in association with TRICKY

Tricky's world, which we got to see in "The TRICKY's Secret", is now the one we're stepping into while Xikers has already grown accustomed with it since they've long since been living inside the Tricky House

The first cutaway from the Tricky House itself takes us to a warped grid floor which has become associated with TRICKY, the being who's given Xikers their powers in Rockstar, and who I talk about more here

We spend the majority of the video witnessing the absolute wackiness that is TRICKY's world, i.e. how it's breaking physics with the sheer scale of its spaces or how this elevator with only buttons for five floors has already reached a floor in the 400s by straight up exiting the building and getting shot into the stratosphere

Shoutout to the elevator interior for continuing the skater boy aesthetic from previous videos and having Jinsik say "Hands up, high up / Never die" while his members are being blasted into outer space in the background

And not just that, we also get straight up punched in the face by him while the others watch on and then stand over our broken body with shocked faces as if they hadn't been a part of the assault - thanks, guys

This is where I'd like to point out that it was also Jinsik who put the headphones on their victim in Tricky House, meaning he's likely the instigator behind a lot of their schemes/"pranks", maybe even a leader of sorts

The lyrics also further reinforce their dokkaebi/goblin concept by referencing their powers and tendency to play pranks/tricks on people:

Everyone's gonna be smiling, even that clown over there [...] Faster, teleport (Ayy, ayy) Blink and I disappear (Ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy) Follow me if you don't want to miss it, shout it [...] Bewitched by me, let go of the reins

We also get this neat shot in which they use a practical effect to insert Hunter into the frame by using a mirror the others are holding

While this is cool to look at, it's also a nice nod to the paranormal wherein mirrors are considered portals through which supernatural beings can travel

Similarly to the grid-floor room, we also get a performance shot of Xikers in another liminal-space looking room with a geometric line design that feels surreal and shares the same color-scheme as TRICKY's world in 'The TRICKY's Secret'

From here, we often return to the same shooting locations but do also get to see the world and their powers in action some more, such as when Minjae (and later also the others) manipulate the buildings around them so they would move along to the song

Toward the end of the video, we move into black-and-white territory as the beat slows

During this section, we get this nice little nod to the Tricky House choreo from Hunter who then also becomes the center at the very end which is reminiscent of past videos where he was also a focal point

[alwayshappyhoursomewhere]

Having read your thoughts on the Stephsho collab, I wonder if you have any thoughts on the Spectre program Shoma did?

when ever do I NOT have thoughts sgfkfh

it's a fun uncomplicated banger of a program and I like it a lot xD I'm a big fan of fast-paced music with heavy beats in skating because it's so rarely used even in gala programs, and I'm even more of a fan of it when done by skaters who have the physicality and ability to actually keep up with and match the intensity and energy of the music (and shoma is one of the few people who do it well). I adore both grespi and come together and this goes in the same direction (although understandably rougher choreo-wise), while giving off a big vibe of 'now I'm retired and i get to skate exactly to the kind of stuff I like and to do things that make me feel cool and powerful' (he himself has said that he prefers to skate to fast-paced music recently, too). tbh I can't blame him for wanting to have fun with his first program as a pro without feeling like he has to do things according to someone else's vision (I know that this is Marin's choreo and that she said she also wanted to give him a challenge, but the challenge here is more about him keeping up with the choreo rather than fundamentially challenging his preferred ways of moving to the music).

I also quite like the structure of the song with alternating slower and faster parts, especially in how the slower parts have long sweeping choreo movements that match the dreamy, echoing, nostalgic vocals and sound, plus the bits of dancing in place where shoma has to use his body and arms in ways he's not used to (maybe that's the real challenge for him, actually xD I kind of want dai to give him some pointers there and also point him towards a dance class jdsfhgsdh). I do like how the choreo emphasizes the structure also in how it matches the real climax of the song; basically the first two instances of the rhythm/beat picking up are not super choreo-heavy (mostly jumps and spins), but then you have the cantilever placed exactly through the build-up point of the track, which is followed by that glorious drop that in the choreo marks the start of the step sequence, and that step sequence is pure fire. I was howling every time that part started sdjfgsd and I mean, that's exactly what a build-up -> drop sequence in edm is meant for (to make you scream and dance harder xD) but boy, did he take us all to the club right then (or me, at least... idk what the aunties i'm not counting myself among them were feeling but i did scream. a lot. i would have jumped in place if i could have). Honestly, although it comes across reasonably well in the video, the energy of the last part of the program seen live just doesn't compare).

I also like the futuristic/cyberpunk look of the costume and the use of the jacket as a prop to enhance the 'cool' effect (especially that one time when we were sitting in the right spot to get his devilish come-hither look when he takes the jacket off lol)

hope this answers your question, anon :)

[iminluv1117]

Ateez Questions

i’m literally so obsessed with ateez so i wanna pretend i’m doing an interview again lol

template by @athforskz

1. Who is your favorite K-pop group?

- honestly….ngl….i think ateez has overtaken blackpink and skz as my ult group🫢

2. Which member sparked your interest first?

- hongjoong! when i was watching kingdom for skz, during interviews and the mayfly collab, he seemed like a cool, fun guy to me. and his acting in their first performance blew me away fr

3. Who was your first bias?

- hongjoong biased🤭🤚

4. Who is your current bias?

- joong still🫡 i sometimes change bias wrecker, but rarely ever my bias

5. What makes them your current bias?

- many things! i admire (and lowkey envy) how hardworking he is. i’m also a whore for a good performance and hongjoong deliversssss. his stage presence and facial expressions alone are just incredible

6. Who is your bias wrecker?

- seonghwa🤭 once again, incredible stage presence and facial expressions. he’s soooo talented and just oozes star power (no pun intended lol). he’s also hardworking and you can tell for example by the way he changed his solo acting scene every time on tour

7. Which members are you currently obsessing over that aren't your bias/ bias wrecker?

- jongho is always on my mind (bias wrecker-wrecker lmaoo). but i’ve also been obsessing over yunho and wooyoung lately

8. When did you first discover this group?

- i had heard of them, but it wasn’t until i started watching kindgom late last year that i knew anything abt them. i thought they were reallyyy good performers. around the same time, crazy form had just come out and i kept hearing it on insta and thought it was really good. then i quickly became obsessed with them (ESPPP after coachella)

9. Have you been to one of their concerts?

- yes! i just went to their show in ny on aug 3. it was one of the best concerts i’ve ever been to despite all the trouble with the thunderstorm and my boots killing me all day😭 i had the time of my life fr

10. Finally, what's your favorite song of theirs?

- def inception. i love the song, mv, choreo, just everything about it

honorable mentions: horizon, be with you, one day at a time…a lot more😭

[sunskate]

the Browns skating James Brown was my favorite performance of the day - really good, really fun ❤️‍🔥 they do the splits on the ice together - the deep curves they’re drawing on the ice the whole time too🔥 they always had skating skills, but they’re skating bigger and with a bit more power. they might have scored higher if they skated later. Pate/Bye got higher PCS then them 👀

there are a lot of Saturday Night Fevers, Car Wash, James Brown. two teams doing Rich Man’s Frug from Sweet Charity - it’s so in Lauriault/LeGac’s wheelhouse that it feels perfect for them

Flores/Desyatov: the Twist, Jungle Boogie, and Great Balls of Fire - one from each decade, i guess? they feel so chaotic lol sometimes it works, like the way they go into the lift - and other times it feels disorganized?

Browns: James Brown Get Up Offa That Thing. awesome- they wore older costumes, as did other teams

Pate/Bye: Le Freak, Car Wash, Shake Your Groove Thing

Neset/Markelov: ABBA - Waterloo, Fernando, Gimme Gimme Gimme

Fabbri/Ayer: Elvis - Jailhouse Rock, Suspicious Minds, Blue Suede Shoes - looking good - they always feel like a broader strokes team to me, primary colors - it’s not what i gravitate to personally, but they skated well

Annabelle Morozov/Jeffrey Chen: also James Brown Get Up Offa That Thing, I Feel Good - they’ve gelled much faster than he did with his previous partners. they had the tough luck of skating just after the Browns, and this program isn’t good by comparison. idk about MIDA choreo 😬

Bashynska/Beaumont: after seeing more of the RDs for this season, it feels like this isn’t doing them any favors

Tkachenko/Kiliakov: Adriano Celentano - Svalutation, Amore no - nobody can say they’re not unique. i’d never heard of this artist, but i guess he was a huge deal and sold 150 million records. it has a different sound from everyone else, and she’s wearing a dress that looks like Mondrian

Larson/Kapran: the other Rich Man’s Frug - this program was fun and had a lot of character, but i’m surprised it scored as high as it did

Lily/Nathan: both songs by The Commodores - Brick House and oof i’m blanking on the other one. i feel like they were underscored a bit - they’re performing bigger, looking good- maybe the song choices aren’t distinctive enough? Pham/Spiridonov: Dirty Dancing - Do You Love Me, Crying, Wipe Out - tailor made to show what they can do while disguising what they don’t do well yet. probably ranked higher than they really skated

Dozzi/Papetti: Tequila and Jump in Line - i loveeee this - what could be a novelty program is an adorable dance program- they calibrated this so well - the choreo, the costumes, and these two 😘

Nosovitskys: Saturday Night Fever - their coach is an ISU tech specialist and they often look kind of frantic because they seem to propel themselves with short choppy strokes. idgi

Fournier/Zhu: Back Street City Lights, Kung Fu Fighting

Alyssa Robinson/Jacob Portz: Saturday Night Fever - they were a tiny bit late for their warmup - came hurrying in with Madi and Adrian - don’t know what happened- they really get into character with this dance style- they, especially him have a sense of cheekiness about it- she had a fall in the MiSt today unfortunately

Roberts/Alis: Rolling Stones - Miss You, Satisfaction - they’ve grown a lot since moving to IAMO

Shilling/Baeten: James Brown - I Feel Good, Super Bad - hello new IAMO team, I wasn’t familiar with them from before- looking forward to more

Ritter/Brykalov: Boney M - Daddy Cool. Fever- good to have them back♥️

[lee-sanghyeok]

bonedo? lol

Thank you Allison!! something really bad will now occur!! (talking about bonedo at length)

fan or not:

Well, I stayed up last night to liveblog an event they barely attended and gave zero fucks about, so I'd say I'm a fan.

how long i’ve been a fan:

Since the first promos of debut started, so pre-debut, which is embarrassing

first song i heard by them:

"One & Only"

first mv i saw:

"Only & Only" MV

first bias:

For a good chunk of time I had no bias, but then Riwoo dyed his hair cherry red, he showed off more of his personality, and it was game over for me.

current bias and why:

Still Riwoo. He's not only a great dancer, but he has proven to be a great singer as well. He has such a distinct voice and tone. His cover of Taeyang's 'Darling' was also, like... a cultural shift. Something seriously went wrong in my brain when he performed that.

Beyond the performance, I've always appreciated how he makes the distinction between 'Sanghyeok' and 'Riwoo' and that he seems very aware of his role and function as an idol. And he also just seems like a really kind person. So yeah.

bias wrecker(s):

All of OT6. There are certain performances where one member shines more than the other, which obviously then grabs the eye. I think I'm most often taken aback by Woonhak, but that's because he seems like the coolest teenager to ever exist.

favourite song:

If we were to look at my Spotify stats, it would be "Fadeaway" (their OST for a basketball webtoon😩), but from their actual albums, I'd say it's currently "Amnesia"

favourite mv:

"But Sometimes", I really liked the combination of on-location filming and exaggerated sets, and how the MV broke reality in various ways. The kitschy grunge look was also spot on for what they were going for. Jaehyun's rap part felt the most inventive to me in terms of the videography complimenting the storytelling.

favourite era:

As of right now, "WHY", because we got some iconic stages at award shows with "But Sometimes" as the main feature. I think we all remember them going, "BOY to the NEXT to the DOOR! Remember!" and just. how iconic that was. Leehan b-boying. Dozens of dancers going crazy with them. Taesan sitting on a throne. Riwoo's hats getting crazier and crazier. So many cool moments during awards season.

favourite choreography:

"Serenade" for sure. K-pop underestimates the power of a good tableau and "Serenade" gives us plenty of those. The choreo just really works well with the story they're telling.

who i think is the best-looking:

Riwoo. I'd prefer not to go in depth.

who i think is the cutest:

Woonhak, of course. He's absolutely adorable.

best singer:

I'm undecided still. We haven't heard the full range and scope of their voices, so I really don't know yet. Right now, I think Sungho is pretty much the best singer, though I'm still waiting for a song using Leehan's lower register.

best dancer:

Riwoo, without a shadow of a doubt. He goes crazy.

best rapper:

In terms of tone and voice, I prefer Taesan, but Jaehyun has the better verses and flow in my opinion.

an unpopular opinion about the group/members (if i have any):

Their styling is always hit or miss, but I'm just a fashion snob. And I'm of the opinion that a slow, gradual growth will always be better than skyrocketing fame. I see a lot of people on Twitter begging for that shot of ultra fame for them, but I don't think that benefits any group in the long run. So, let bonedo grow slowly.

send me a kpop group and i'll answer 🗣️‼️

[millenari]

I promise I will shut up about the Broadway Revival sometime soon but thinking about it again, I do think that if it were just bad, I wouldn’t pay any attention to it at all.

Like… I don’t really clown much on the West End Revival. I mean, yes, the three big changes in that production I know off the top of my head are A) Rap!Tugger, which most everyone hated, B) Growltiger costumes, which most everyone didn’t care about, and C) Sexy!Griz, which most everyone either hated intimately or didn’t care about. But even so, nobody really dissects the West End Revival the way we do the Bway Revival. And part of that may have to do with less accessible boots, but I’ve seen (probably) most of the West End Revival footage that exists and yet it’s the Bway Revival that gets my goat.

And, yes, the Gillian Lynne snub element of the Bway choreo definitely plays a big part in that.

But also… the Bway Revival is sometimes really good? The West End Revival just... *is*. It’s a 98 clone with slightly different (and generally disliked) costumes. If it weren’t for the sort-of-racist and unbearably cringe Rap!Tugger, I don’t think this production would get much attention within the fandom at all (despite doing really well financially), because that’s all it really is: a perfectly serviceable 98 clone.

(And that’s not a bad thing. I like 98. I like the West End Revival. It’s a good production with skilled performers, chunks of it are on yt check it out.)

But the Bway Revival changes don't universally suck. There are elements (lots of elements!) of the Bway Revival I adore and I genuinely think are better than the original. Everything to do with Macavity, imo, is just brilliant. The old Macavity fight choreo had this kind of cool abstract tribal vibe to it, but the new choreo looks violent. It also looks more catlike; Munk and Mac crouch low to the ground like hunched-up cats, they circle each other, and the hits actually look like they connect at the right angles. The goofier parts (the mutual ass-slap, the playing tug-of-war with Demeter, the piggyback ride) are removed so it feels more serious: Munk actually looks nervous or frightened sometimes despite not backing down, and it looks like the background cats might be being controlled (which explains why few cats try and help Munk during the fight until the end). Not even to touch upon the lighting and music.

Revival!Macavity’s style of movement is super unique and recognizable too, Daniel Gaymon’s Macavity is amazing, I love how the way he moves sometimes makes him look possessed by something (also his Plato was adorable, He Has The Range Darling). His costume is cool on its own, (I don't love the old Macavity design, which simultaneously makes him look more like a tiger and also a little boy wearing pajamas rather than a housecat) but I love how the little mane-like collar and wig curls makes him look like Tugger & I love the parallels between the two that this production emphasizes. Tugger, the tribe’s most popular cat & pride and joy, versus Macavity, the outcast. Tugger, who everyone wants, versus Macavity, who can’t seem to acquire the one cat he wants.

Plus Macavity’s mind control? In the classic Mac freezes the cats; in the Bway Revival he forces them to dance. In the show where dancing together is a symbol of togetherness and community.  In the show where characters frequently imitate each other to indicate closeness or admiration. In the show where you spend like 5 minutes watching Grizabella the Outcast Cat fail to dance along with the others, Macavity forces the others to dance with him. NO NOTES WHATSOEVER.

And the extra lore and worldbuilding they add to the magic element? I don’t love the Macavity Interlude, but “He hypnotizes with his eyes/His head moves like a snake” in combination with the fact that it seems like Macavity needs eye contact to control other cats? Plus how Tugger, Munk, and Deuteronomy all seem to be immune to his powers to a degree?

This element isn’t really in the boot on yt but in later performances there’s a bit at the end of the fight where Macavity, (on the top of the car) visibly tries to use his powers on the gathered cats, and when he fails he looks down at his hands and then scrambles to grab the jumper cables. The idea that he has some kind of ‘magic meter’ that he is capable of using up somehow? Potentially explaining why he went the subtle route and tries to impersonate Deut rather than go in guns blazing for Demeter?

THE WAY DEMETER REACHES FOR HIM WHEN HE FIRST GRABS HER? The way she looks like she’s flailing and trying to get away from him the second time, after the fight? Tantomile jumping between Demeter and Mac the second he lets go of her?

AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE MISTO/MAC PARALLELS I’VE BEEN WORKING ON A GIFSET FOR THAT

It’s so good. Those changes make me go insane. Because they’re deliberate, and pointed, and they add things to the story, build upon the story, and add more depth to the story. They’re also just cool and fun to look at and play around with. That’s the thing that gets me about the Bway Revival, because they were capable of making insightful and meaningful changes that genuinely elevated the source material in really cool ways.

[arbitrarygreay]

Thoughts on Altair

Skipped any numbers that overlap with Vega

Camera really loves SakuRio, while Maria is probably the best figure to watch from stage view (magical Eripon dancing aside).

Goodness, they really beat the formation sync into MM, as a group performance they're a cut above everyone else in H!P. You can always watch MM in the wide view and they impress. They don't need the VTR. (And this is with most groups in H!P fielding noobs right now, including MM.)

Please UF don't ruin Byonz with forever rotating lineup. Their chemistry is so good, they vibe with their own music so much, and that unified identity is gold. H!P needs a singular group that wins on stability (which by definition should not be MM, no matter how long 9th-11th took their fucking sweet time about it).

Speaking of fuck, UF is really going to make me pay attention to Tsubaki's music, won't they. Fuck. You can't make me care about the members, though. (Juice=Juice's music also continues to be solid, but it's pretty easy to ignore because they are like categorically unable to be weird/do unconventional things, whereas the Tsubaki songs catching my ear are not only pushing the boundaries of what music H!P can put out, but also retaining a way with the composition that is more than just "smooth", unlike what I've complained about with some Angerme offerings.)

The shuffles on Altair were way more interesting than Vega.

Moshimo still excellence, and these main vocalists recognizing that. Yuichi stay winning. Nishida making this franchise her bitch increasingly likely, and I'll support it.

Um. I think. I like my own reggaeton mashup version of C/C better than the SIOOM arrangement? Damn, Tojima Yusuke really missed the mark there. This is the dark side of maximalism.

Matenai After Five my beloved. Although seeing TGS take on the jazz dance choreo on so expertly does show some of the gaps in some of the members' experience here. Some lack that musical jazz-hands swag. Which might go to some of the sync issues I mentioned in the Vega post, as I don't need strict lockstep sync, loose sync will do just as well, which can mostly only be learned by doing more songs like this, without a driving electronic beat as a crutch. You sink/sync or swim learning how to groove. They get a little bit of it through the funk/disco songs, or the cute songs, but not wholly.

I will certainly say, there are few things more boring than shuffles doing an EDM song. All it reflects is the participating members desperately wanting to do what they think is cool, not realizing that most such songs totally squish out any personality for anyone involved, that they cannot put their stamp on the performance, so I have little reason to pay any attention compared to the other types of songs.

Kamiko really is something else, isn't she. She turned that corner all those years ago, and never looked back. Growing into a true soloist-capable diva more and more every tour, totally dominating her stages, and she knows it, which only makes her even more powerful a presence. The JOY in her performances!

Ocha Norma has some throwback H!P energy in some ways, which is really interesting when comparing them to Byonz. Byonz feels like a successor to CG, whereas ON is harking more like to Berikyuu vibes sometimes. At the same time, both groups are clearly trying to avoid the mistakes that put the Mobekimasu era in the Dark Ages. Obviously the members having grown up in the post-Kpop era and social media era plays a role in that, because that performance edge boosts the vibe of the performances in ways that Berryz could never pull off once their rookie energy wore off. Besides which that ON is not limited to the cheese, which probably helps a lot with their attitudes towards the cuter songs. They can take them as the palate cleansers that they are, instead of as a career-limiting straitjacket. Meanwhile, Byonz vibe with their cute songs because Byonz is like literally the theater club kids group of H!P? So their cute songs are pointedly a persona they can be Extra at. Their cute song performances have that pro-wrestling audience-in-on-it wink to them. Playing to the rafters.

Tsubaki pull off their Takui song in the same way as I noted for Ocha Norma above, getting to enjoy it as a palate cleanser. Juice=Juice does not do a cute song this tour, reinforcing my side-eyeing of their vibes (see: my distaste of their Down Town PV).

Oh hey, Oda learned to back off during the One Two Three adlib, instead straining for it! Good for her.

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

Random reviews of recent comebacks (not very positive):

Imaginary Friend - I've already reviewed the song and MV, but the choreo is truly amazing and I loved the choreo MV - the dancers representing the imaginary friends and that move where they grab their knee and turn is awesome (though I don't understand all the hand gestures around the waist). The song is lowkey held back by Itzy's vocals - it needed softer, more angelic singing. I'm surprised by Chaeryeong because now I think her voice sounds the worst and she was so pitchy on a radio live. Also, for having such a cool choreo and song, their live performance is giving nothing.

GPT and Meant to Be - Most of Stayc's MVs are forgettable imo. They don't make sense, are generally too over the top, and scream low budget. I wasn't fond of GPT at first, because I think the lyrics are kind of cringe, but the song stuck with me. The beginning is nice and the chorus is catchy. I like Sieun's voice and the bridge. GPT would be a hit if other people sang it. A mix of soft/angelic and power Western vocals are the trend and groups who don't have these tend to sound outdated imo, like Itzy. GPT is a bop but everything about it screams mid-sized group in an industry dominated by flashy yet uniform visuals and smooth, easy listening production. Their voices are too loud and dissonant. It's hard to imagine them topping charts. Also, their performance still looks amateurish to me and the choreo isn't good (and follows the latest trend of excessive hand gestures). Meant to Be is a good ballad.

Drip and Click Clack - The lyrics are absurd given that BM are a bunch of teenagers who probably can't even afford a cheaper apartment in Seoul yet, but I love the songs. I think they're fun and the girls are really good. Their vocals, dance, and visuals are good. The Click Clack performance vid was awesome (but the lipsyncing was truly awful - do they even know the lyrics??). I loved the dance. It has impact.

Hit the Floor - The song is cool, but the live performance is very boring. Without the smooth studio production, the lipsincing and uninteresting dancing make the song unmemorable.

Cherish (My Love) and I'll Like You EP - I caved and listened to ILLIT. Their whole vibe is capitalizing off of innocence, which, given the alarming pedophilia and misogyny in Korea, makes warning bells go off for me. The first spoken line in the song is so cringe, and the fact that teenagers want to act like adults yet these girls are told to act like children is gross. The song is catchy though. I like the chorus. But I don't think the girls or choreo stand out in any way. Listening to the EP, it's pretty forgettable. I also listened to Super Real Me and Magnetic and... I thought Magnetic would be magnetic, pardon the pun, but it's really not. It sounds childish and empty. I had already listened to the chorus but the whole song is not great... The EP is so weak too. The girls really can't match up to other newly debuted groups tbh. And yet we have all of this drama right now for NWJS and ILLIT... Neither group's music or concepts are that good imo. I really don't get it. Why are people obsessed with NWJS? I only liked Ditto performed by Jungkook because his voice has personality. I think Hybe really lacks talent, particularly in their ggs. Their producing skills are also severely lacking.

Over the Moon - What in the fucking world is Hybe doing with TXT, can someone let me know? The fact that TXT said this was the first tt they liked since LOSER=LOVER (or was it 0x1=Love Song?) was shocking. To me, this is their worst tt. I've listened to it twice and can't remember what it sounds like - it's so short, lacks a bridge or climax, and the chorus is indistinct from the rest of the song. Their tts keep getting more forgettable. It doesn't help that I don't like Beomgyu, Soobin, or Kai's voices, and even Taehyun's is off-putting right now. Their performances are boring to me as well. The MV was also a lot of nothing and the choreo was boring as usual. I'm sorry for the excessive use of the word "boring" but it all blends in together.

[harmonyspopculturecorner]

Mean Girls 2024

!!SPOILER WARNING!!

The original ‘Mean Girls’ is an iconic piece of 2000s media, and the Broadway musical added to that legacy. Finding out about this being made had me a bit on the fence. I love the musical, but not all shows translate well into a movie. After watching it, I still can agree with that. This wasn’t a bad movie adaptation in any way…it just didn’t feel fully fleshed out. A lot of the songs from the Broadway show were left out which made this movie move at a much quicker pace. It also felt like a lot of the emotion and performance was taken out of the songs when it came to the vocals, which didn’t give them as much power as I’m used to. Now there were some good parts. With the songs that were included they made the choreo and atmosphere interesting and feel theatrical. Which helped a bit with the lacking vocal performances. Renee Rapp also did wonderfully reprising her role as Regina. She was the iconic character in the Broadway show for a while, so it was cool to see her return to this role and see how she’s grown since her first round of playing Regina. Overall, this movie adaptation of the ‘Mean Girls’ musical was average. It didn’t disappoint, but it also didn’t thrill me. If I have an inkling to delve into ‘Mean Girls’, I’d rather watch the original movie or listen to the Broadway soundtrack.

[ohwiseswami]

WARNING: LONG POST.

NCT Wish is the most compelling boy group to debut in awhile and that's no shade to any of these other boy groups. They just have a perfect combination of talent, potential, good production/vision for what they're going to be, charisma, hyung line visuals, and it-factor.

Like when Sion performs he serves in a way that reminds me of Yeonjun. Man dances his ass off and adds his own sense of musicality to every move. His lines are always so precise and his body shape adds to the look of the moves (long ass legs).

When Riku exists, his face card and charisma is unmatched. And he performs like old-school YG idols. Plus, he has that confident idgaf but am grateful for my opportunity vibe (lmao) that is so hard to cultivate in kpop idols. I straight up cannot name a single idol, ever, let alone one that has debuted under SM, that has that type of it factor.

Vocal Line. Their vocal line is solid for 4th/5th gen standards and I can definitely see them improving to the NCT standard. But what they already have with a 19-year-old leading the pack is wild already and covers different tonal ranges (Yushi and Daeyoung for the higher register light and round vocal, respectively; and Ryo and Sion for the lower register light and round vocal, respectively).

Rap Line. Flow-wise rap line is already one of the strongest in SM. Listen, we all know that's not SM's strong suit so it's not a high bar to clear lmao. But even within NCT--with SM's strongest rappers--you can see Wish's rapline's placement. I think Riku and Sakuya are really only second to Mark and Taeyong and we shouldn't even argue this point. Also, Wish's rap line has rule of cool w/Riku fronting which adds a lot. Cherry on top is that, like other SM rap lines, Riku and Sakuya also have pleasant vocals (especially Riku) to go along with their nice rap style.

Dance Line. Dance line is led by one of the most musical and natural dancers I've seen in awhile (Sion). Then there's a lot of young talent in Ryo and a cool/confident-efficient style in Riku. Some might consider Yushi to be one of the best dancers in Wish but--and I say this respectfully--no. (S/n: Respectfully, their dance ranking is like this: Sion, Ryo, Riku, Yushi, [a brick wall] Sakuya, Daeyoung. I think Sakuya's big problem is his taller height making him look a little awkward at times--but that can be overcome with age and practice). A Sion-Ryo-Riku dance line has potential to be one of the better dance lines in their generation (though Ryo will need to grow more since sometimes I notice his small stature physically limits him, and Riku will have to execute every move with the same power and fluidity as he does in killing parts).

Overall Performance Skills. Their overall performance style is energetic and visually interesting, if a bit stiff/awkward sometimes (probably due to nervousness). But one thing I can really appreciate is their stable live vocals while dancing. No one else can do that in the past couple of generations' boy groups and I commend them for that. And they've gotten some really unique choreographies so far that would look stupid if performed by anyone else, yet look nice on them (kind of like some of SHINee's choreos). Lastly on this point, their sound is very appropriate and matches their voices.

Variety/Personalities/Image. As for their variety skills, we haven't seen much from them and SM is obviously pushing certain images on them. Like it's clear what they're going for:

parent-type leader Sion

hot guy/possessor of a single brain cell that sometimes works Riku

complete idol/perfect role model-type Yushi

pure vocal/older brother-type Daeyoung (or Jaehee, whatever they're wanting him to go by)

super baby genius/atheletically gifted Ryo

chaotic maknae Sakuya

Despite the personalities SM is assigning them, their real personalities seem to shine through (which heavily contrasts their assigned roles in the group). This is a good thing. And as they get more experienced, I expect that what seems to be their real personalities will come out more in variety, social media, and interviews (a la TXT). This will do wonders for them because everybody knows that SM's assigned personalities are always boring and patronizing lmao.

The Issue All The Dumb People Have With Them. Now, the elephants in the room: the two 16 year olds and predominantly recent trainees under the NCT brand. Honestly, this doesn't bother me as much as it does other people. I know people want a mature/suave concept but like...that doesn't mean the kids aren't talented? I admit I'd like to see Sion and Riku do something a little more akin to 127 style but what they have so far is actually pretty good and very on brand with 127. Despite the fact that they skew younger, they don't sound too kidz-boppy like when Dream first debuted.

And when it comes to watching their content/you hoes wanting something to thirst after, you can just choose to only pay attention to hyung line lmao. Like the group as a whole is super talented and ready to debut to the world. HOWEVER, to me, clearly Sion-Riku-Yushi catch your attention very easily, with Sion and Riku feeling like damn near generations apart from Sakuya. I've watched some of their variety and Sion and Riku give similar vibes with Sakuya as Taeyong & Doyoung do with Mark & Haechan. And when it's just Sion and Riku, you feel a completely different vibe than when they're with the other members. I like that, so I tend to gravitate toward Sion-Riku (and sometimes Yushi) content.

I find the line of thought that you have to bias every single member weird because it puts people in fucked up positions. You don't have to force yourself to be interested in every member. Of course there's even downsides to that (like people thinking you only like, say, Sion, for his visuals/so you can thirst), but it's not nearly as dire as the other scenario. If you naturally like Sion more, even if it's for a superficial reason, you shouldn't feel bad about being perceived as an akgae. You don't have to want to get to know all the members. Plus, if someone is policing the way you consume your entertainment they're a loser lmao.

Also, that being said, if you're over 18, it's not that you can't find Sakuya/Ryo entertaining. You can obviously think they're talented, funny, etc.

Also want to say that all the people mad at this group for existing because of their ages are moving real weird because half of y'all stan enhypen and also stanned older groups when they had underage maknaes (despite you yourselves being adults at the time). It comes off as hateration.

Then there's the folks mad at them for not being RIIZE lmao. Those people are just weirdos that honestly don't even deserve to be addressed. Like who cares that SungTaro aren't in NCT? They got to debut, didn't they? They're successful, aren't they? And they will probably continue to interact with 127, Way-V, and Dream more than even Wish will lol. You can still ship RIIZE with NCT folks (since that's really what this is about...), calm down.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to Wish and hope SM will give them bangers.

[jeonqkooks]

I don't have a problem with the concept of JK fucking or singing about fucking. Just saying it SO many times in the explicit version is a bit cringey to me. I would've liked if they had changed just one or two of the lovings to fuckings, it would have felt more like a spicy little surprise! IMO it almost feels more immature to be saying fucking every 30 seconds. Like frat boy behavior.

I do like the song a lot overall and I think JK is absolutely killing the vocals and the choreo and I'm so excited for him. And it always has seemed when he talks that crossing over and hitting it big in Western music is meaningful to him and I think he will absolutely achieve that goal. But I agree that it would be nice if his album also had some tracks that were more personal. And I doubt we're getting that with this album unfortunately, based on what we've heard.

Maybe the next one? It's not uncommon for singers to break through to mainstream with something more built for commercial success and then use that momentum and power to evolve their sound into something more artistic. Maybe he's just at that point in his journey.

Also I do not like Taylor Swift. She's fine as a person, but her music is just not for me, and I still hate Sc**ter and think he's disgusting. So we need not dismiss all Sc**ter criticism here as just bitter Swifties.

that's what i was saying the other day!! switching it out a couple times is cool but dang you're repeating it 500 times in the song? eye-

i think he'll definitely make it big in the western market, i've never had any doubt about that. but if he's appealing to western/american audiences then there's not really a lot of room for music that's more personal yk? idk that's just what i think

but anyway. it's not like this is the only album he'll put out. i'll love and support him regardless 💕

[straykats]

kat talks: 5-star

tldr; it did not take long at all for this comeback to grow on me i love it so much. i find that with most new songs my first listen is always very apathetic and/or ??? LOL and there exists only a small handful of songs that i immediately was like oH MY GOD (this is across all artists i listen to) but yeah i always forget that when listening to new music and i think this comeback is the first time i fully acknowledged that my first listen is rarely (and doesnt need to be) instant likesies. theres a lot of small bits throughout the album that remind me of other songs (not a bad thing, just smth i noticed i kept noticing?). topline, dlc, the sound and time out were/are my favs hehe (update: relistening to the album again and collision and fnf are creeping up to my favs too help)

hall of fame

okay im pretty sure i've heard this in my brief listen before but i also dont remember it at all

i cant describe it but that alien-sounding melody actually has me seeing like a weird alien brainwashing thing

WHOS FUCKING-- WAS THAT JEONGIN??? AT 1:24???? that was so pretty i want that framed

during hyunjins bit i got weird b me flashbacks??? i dont think it sounds similar but my mind immediately went 'b me !!'

jesus felix

the moon landing audio is such a cool inclusion,,, 5 star,,, hall of fame,,, a star/celestial body themed comeback,,,,

s-class

okay wbk i was so confused the first time round but its grown sm on me

i LOVE the power of the opening

the cartoon boing/spring sound and (its not but) the tom and jerry running sound hehe

this song definitely sounds.. grand? and wide? and a good title track

"[im] up above the world so high" nice nice twinkle twinkle reference hehe

i absolutely love jeongin's bit in the bridge and i love the choreo of it too

item

i love the game sounds they use in this hehe

seungmin's prechorus reminds me of smth but i cant place what it is

felixs ... tone? like? the voice he uses???

hyunjin/changbin bit in the bridge >>>>> i cant explain it but it sounds so good

super bowl

the instrumental at the beginning took me by surprise.. i also am sitting ehre trying to identity the?? The Sound. digital/synth. like the almost cowbell almost snare one. ive replayed it so many times.

i thought this when i first heard it (while doing the dishes lol) but is this song all in english?

whats that sound between 'have a bite' and 'make it mine'

screams TFDGVJABVAD the whisper im sorry i cant do it HAHAHAHAHA

topline

to be mad honest i was SO excited for this based on just the teaser

'we skedaddle intoxicated razzle dazzle' best line fr

okay ik i didnt say much for this one but its one of my favs

underground rebellious kinda vibes i love it (i described that wrong but i have a very specific img in my head)

dlc

im trying to play this on the pino and its driving my nuts but in a good way

the 'amudo moreuge' line throughout the entire song is so [deep breaths] like i cant explain it but it BUT AHHHHHH (fun fact for any pokemon people LOL the song oracion has the same kinda thing in it. idk what to call it.)

oh i LOVE love the piano during the second verse AHHHHHHHHH not gonna be able to replicate it but thats okay

the song/chorus has a.. an urban tropical feel? like it's ALMOST something you would hear with a tropical background but smth about the key, maybe, plavces it instead in an urban setting at night (bc lyrics) and seems kinda bittersweet

THATS WHAT THE AMUDO MOREUGE LINE DOES it adds such a sad kinda tired/resigned feel to the song which is like. on one hand the lyrics are so 'lets dance like crazy without a care in the world' but on the other hand the song feels so lonely and kind of. 'don't worry about me, i'll manage my sadness alone'??? like, 'let's have fun together but i'm really sad even though i'm smiling' kinda thing ARGHHHHH

get lit

seungmin's line rmeinds me of smth ARGHH its another skz song i know that for sure but i cant remember which one (ngl a lot of the songs in this album have parts that remind me of another kpop song,,, one of the above reminded me of nct but icr which song)

oh wait i think its my pace @ seungmins line

the instrumental would be so cool for mashups etc

wait one of the lines is 'today im so cocky' which is interesting bc theres a previous line (sueprbowl?) thats about not being cocky or smth HMMM i would revisit but tbh i cbb rn rip

collision

tRUMPETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT... i think

trumpets reminded me of maknae on top and this song also suits jeongin's voice sm i love it here

oh??? the ringing at the end???

fnf

this REMINDS ME OF SMTH TOO an dits not kpop

but i do really like it

'ashes up in the sky' ,,,, thinkingthinkingthinking

this feels like the opposite of time out and idk how to explain it

lix singing !!!!!! i love it sm

WAIT THSI ONE ACTUALLY REMINDS ME OF B ME wait no or is it levanter

the flaura and fauna line also reminds me of venom

both of the above points refer to the melody ,, seungmin's venom prechorus "cant escape-" and then it jumps The Other Song which i cant figure out what it is AHH

was that an eagle did i just hear an eagle

the minho/chan ending is so <3 <3 <3

youtiful

the muted piano i [crying] also almost gives me knnw vibes

'must be an oracle' ????? trying to understand this. like. it must be predicting smth,, but what,,, 'look at the stars fall / they leave the sky, goodbye' which part of this is the oracle i-- ad oracle as in like a person or a message but either way

if anyone covers this song please use a xylophone or marimba hehe would be so <3

oh i can see this second verse being animated so beautifully

why did changbin singing at the end make me so incredibly soft

the sound

okay this song has been out for ages but i think the only thing i said about it was smth about the bass and also how it sounds like a 'final stand' kinda song

okay ngl i liked the jpn lyrics better for the chorus oopsies im sorry

the piano sounds so RAW like the ringing of it the way the key falls and the mallet hits the string like you can HEAR it like thats exactly how it sounds when you play that high on a piano and also like. imo i notice the sound more on older pianos and just bc of that personal association (???) this song gets a bit sadder

adding to the 'final stand' feel is the police sirens in the chorus

time out

i just love this song sm man like idk what to say at this point

OH IT REMINDS ME OF A DEEMO SONG AHHAHA WAIT LEMME FIND IT // this song omg i've never thought about it before but listening to time out just then, i literally went 'you ready?' and then i was like WAIT THATS A DIFFERENT SONG

this song would be such a fun end-of-concert/encore song woah

yeah no i really dont have much to say i just love this song sm

[symeraid-s]

2024 Retrospective: Most Underwhelming Song/Comeback

E’LAST – Gasoline

I really hate to be in this position two years in a row, but this sound really isn’t it. I’ll admit, it grew on me, but not enough. Their new producer really doesn’t seem to know what he is doing with them or in general. E’LAST does have the talent to make it work, but I really just miss their orchestral sound so much, and apparently, they do too, because Won Hyuk full on said in an interview that he believes their old sound fit them better. The choreo is cool though. Also, for some reason the version in the music video sounds worse than the album version and I have no idea how that happened. Like, quality control seems to have slept on that.

Dishonourable Mentions:

Taemin – Sexy in the Air

I’m probably on my own with this opinion, but I think he shouldn’t have left SM. Or rather, he shouldn’t have joined BPM. Not because I think they aren’t promoting him right or anything like that, but rather because they just don’t produce good music in my opinion. Most of the music coming out of BPM is passable, but not much more and this is another one of those songs. It’s fine, but it could be so much more. It just feels like they don’t care enough.

Forestella – Stuck in a Maze

I do like this song. I really do. I think it’s cool and an interesting sound for them to experiment with. But did you have to attach it to an AI generated music video about Gaza? And sure, it was taken down and changed, but it’s still AI generated slop. Just now with a Sci-fi story. All they had to do was use real images and they didn’t. I will add that this is not BEAT Interactives fault. They didn’t make or commission the video. In their statement they even said that they didn’t completely know that this is what it would be used for. It just soured my enjoyment of the song a lot.

G-Dragon – Power

It may not have been the grandiose return of the king that everyone hoped for, but it does still feel good to have him back. I wouldn’t call the song good, but I respect this guy too much to put it into the worst category. Besides, as far as I can tell this is just a teaser for his album and HOME SWEET HOME was actually really good. And he also does exude power.

ATEEZ – Work/Ice on my Teeth

Yeah, I really don’t like the Golden Hour era. I think it might just be their weakest so far. Both Ep. 1 and Ep. 2 were just really boring, and I don’t know what to do with them. I think they have catchy choruses but not much more going for them.

The KingDom – Flip That Coin

This is another group we lost to the 4th Gen-ififcation this year. Their old concept was really unique and intriguing and now they are just any other group. Personally, I think they might end up regretting rebranding in the future, but we will see. Song-wise, it’s not bad, it just doesn’t do anything to stand out.

[vitaminwaterreviews]

Twice - With YOU-th

Look, I’m not saying I’m disappointed, because Twice have consistently let me down over their past few comebacks. But I really don’t care for this style of music. It feels … so polished. Like, yes, kpop is inherently polished. But this feels like they’re trying to scrub away all imperfections, to the point that the result feels way too fake.

I’m not really sure how to express what I mean by this though. Like, Twicetagram is fake as fuck, and it’s one of my favorite kpop albums. But also, it’s kind of not fake at all? There’s a level of genuineness behind Twicetagram which makes it feel totally valid to me. And this feels like it’s trying too hard to be cool. I dunno. I’ll always be a fan of Twice, but I’m really not a fan of their musical direction. Average score of 6.8.

- I’ve heard the pre-release a few times, and also I’ve heard that they use Jeongyeon’s voice well in this album. That’s good news if true, because I don’t like how they’ve used her voice in a lot of their recent stuff. And since Jeongyeon’s voice is the sole reason I got into kpop in the first place … well, it would mean a lot to me if they released some music where I like how her voice is used.

I GOT YOU

The ‘oooh’ is super … idk, powerful?

Only I’m not sure it’s powerful to Me

Oh yeah also, obligatory NewJeans

Although I feel like we’ve reached a point in kpop where you don’t even need to mention ‘NewJeans’ when you talk about chill girl group music

Like, this is kind of just the default girl group sound these days

I saw someone the other day call NewJeans’ discography ‘diverse’ and I nearly choked

Although actually, this definitely does NewJeans with a Twice spin on it, I don’t think NewJeans would do this song quite as energetically as Twice

7/10

One Spark

Hi Chaeyoung

Hi Naeyeon

This feels quite a bit like the previous song

Actually, this is gonna sound criminal of me, but it sounds kind of Vcha

Sana is, as always, the most beautiful human ever

I dunno if I buy their choreo tbh

Like, Twice have historically had some really great choreos, but … I dunno about their contemporary choreos

Jeongyeon definitely does this chorus well

Yeah actually, I think calling the previous song NewJeans is maybe a bad comparison

7/10

Rush

Well this is cute

Still cute, the piano in this prechorus here

Now this is NewJeansy

Just looking at the lyrics, this might be the first kpop song I’ve seen which is almost completely English, but has a handful of Korean phrases here and there

Someone once mentioned the JYP autotune, and I think that’s one of my biggest issues with contemporary Twice music

Like, it works if it’s bubblegum, I’m not sure I buy it in this context

7/10

New New

…I’m not sure I like that sound

Aaaand I’m already bored

Like, every song on this album sounds the same to me so far, and that’s boring and I don’t like it

6/10

Bloom

Haha okay then

That’s one way to get my attention

‘How can I breathe now now now’ vibes

Also Blueming vibes

I definitely prefer Unnatural and Blueming to this song though

That said, it definitely caught my attention compared to previous songs

7/10

You Get Me

2:33, oof

Is this a fan song?

I mean it’s either a love song or a fan song, but also those totally overlap

Another song which is mostly English with bits of Korean

7/10