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Weekly K-Pop Faves May 29-June 4- Luna, EXID, Baby Kara

June 6, 2016/in Features /by KultScene

Each week, our writer’s introduce some of their favorite songs out of Korea released during the past week. This week, KultScene writer’s liked songs by f(x)’s Luna, EXID, and former Baby Kara members, Chaewon of April and Yoon Chaekyung. “Free Somebody” by Luna (May 30) From the SM Entertainment stable, f(x)’s powerhouse vocalist Luna comes of age in spectacular fashion with her […]

CLC’s “Nu.Clear” Album Review

June 1, 2016/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by Joe Palmer

That is one great title. Nuclear by itself would be good enough but combining “new” and their name (a shortened version of “crystal clear”), CLC have created another classic K-pop portmanteau, ”Nu.Clear.” This release is a new start for CLC because it’s their first since adding former “Produce 101” contestant Kwon Eunbin to their lineup. […]

Weekly K-Pop Faves May 29-June 4- Luna, EXID, Baby Kara

June 6, 2016/in Features /by KultScene

CLC’s “Nu.Clear” Album Review

June 1, 2016/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by Joe Palmer

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Weekly K-Pop Faves May 29-June 4- Luna, EXID, Baby Kara

June 6, 2016/in Features /by KultScene

Each week, our writer’s introduce some of their favorite songs out of Korea released during the past week. This week, KultScene writer’s liked songs by f(x)’s Luna, EXID, and former Baby Kara members, Chaewon of April and Yoon Chaekyung.

“Free Somebody” by Luna (May 30)

From the SM Entertainment stable, f(x)’s powerhouse vocalist Luna comes of age in spectacular fashion with her impressive solo debut, “Free Somebody.” The song is a sparkling, 1990s techno dance track featuring positive and inspiring lyrics that encourage listeners to embrace life in Technicolor and to chase one’s dreams in a bold and fearless way. This cheerfully optimistic message is successfully hammered home via a striking, 1960s pop art influenced music video, which inventively incorporates scenes of Luna and her male love interest as cartoon characters. “Free Somebody” boasts some stunning cinematography, coupled with unconventional filming techniques, as it documents Luna’s sensual awakening after meeting her ideal man in an elevator. She radiates an air of classy confidence and stylish sex appeal throughout the video, which appears effortless and believable. “Free Somebody” already has me looking forward excitedly to another solo release from Luna, of the same calibre.

–Eve

“Clock” by April’s Chaewon & Yoon Chaekyung (June 1)

The news of this mini-reunion by two of Baby Kara’s members delighted many fans of the reality competition and their release at the start of the month certainly did not disappoint. This track is a reflective ballad for the most part but ventures slightly into R&B territory towards the middle of the song with its jazzy rhythm, which certainly livened up the whole track. Personally, I was surprised by the improvement in the vocals of Chaekyung, who was on the recently concluded competition “Produce 101.” Her experiences on the show definitely helped her to grow as a singer and she has made remarkable progress from her time on “Kara Project.” Chaewon on the other hand has been blossoming increasingly with every new release from April, so I’m glad that both singers got a chance to show off their beautiful harmony through this song. Chaekyung needs her debut as soon as possible, and I’m definitely excited about the future of these DSP artists.

–Anna

EXID are the queens of making use of their member’s talents. Lines can be distributed to any member at any time in a song and they’ll make it work. Hyelin and Solji pack the choruses with power, Hani takes the verses with her just as good but sexier voice, and Junghwa and LE fit around them adding much needed character to a song. “L.I.E” is helped greatly by this as musically it doesn’t work quite as well. It has wonderful parts though especially the tropical verses. The video is great as well, with their usual extensive use of symbolism and references to The Grand Budapest Hotel.

–Joe
What song was your favorite of the week? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

CLC’s “Nu.Clear” Album Review

June 1, 2016/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by Joe Palmer

That is one great title. Nuclear by itself would be good enough but combining “new” and their name (a shortened version of “crystal clear”), CLC have created another classic K-pop portmanteau, ”Nu.Clear.” This release is a new start for CLC because it’s their first since adding former “Produce 101” contestant Kwon Eunbin to their lineup. It also represents a good shot at them making it big as the “Produce 101” craze has not entirely died down. But Cube Entertainment groups have been in decline recently, and CLC never did garner much of a fanbase to add to by now. Whether or not they break out this year, we can be sure they deserve it.

“Nu.Clear” explodes (get it?) into life right from the opening with ‘90s hip-hop beats, record scratches, and bombastic horns. Written and produced by frequent Cube collaborators Son Youngjin and Jo Sungho (4minute’s “Cold Rain,” BtoB’s “It’s Okay), “What Planet Are You From?” doesn’t stray too far from retro pastiche and is energized by the girls’ fantastic vocals. One of the things CLC do better than a lot of other girl groups is their group singing. I don’t know if it’s just good production or they were always planned to be like this but in nearly all of their choruses you can hear a number of distinct voices rather than one being layered. It works especially well on a ‘90s throwback like this. I also love the high-pitched synth that the girls harmonize with in the verses; it transitions the song effortlessly.

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CLC continue with the horns and bubblegum pop on lead single “No Oh Oh” but with a more modern twist than the album opener. It bears the hallmarks of producer Shinsadong Tiger’s work (most recently popularized by EXID), horns, male voices in the background, big vocal choruses, and a healthy disdain for men. “No Oh Oh” is about a girl who knows she’s too young for men’s creepy approaches to them but has to continually say no to the stranger danger. This repetition is mirrored nicely in the refrain of “ani ani aniya” (“no, no, no” in Korean) and in the weird delays that come halfway through the verses. These are the highlights as they suggest a chorus or pre-chorus is about to begin but the song continues on with the verse, shutting down any possible change of heart from the girls. Again, I love how parts of the music harmonize with their voices and this time it’s the electric guitar, which adds a more youthful touch than synths in the previous song. While not as structurally interesting as EXID songs, all of these elements work just as well for CLC to create something more coherent and immediately satisfying.

“1, 2, 3” is CLC’s effort to jump on the GFriend innocent bandwagon. The use of theremin, the 808s, and delay in the chorus all recall GFriend’s own aping of Girls’ Generation. Here though it is dialled up a notch with a lot more elements making GFriend seem like tired old ladies. It begins by slowing the album down with some harp, apparently bringing us (sadly) to the ballad portion of the album already. But it was not to be. The song crashes back into life only seconds later with its chorus of rolling synths and pop beats. Written and produced by singer Lee Sang Chul, Seo EBum, and BPM, “1, 2, 3” does not rest from there and is a great example of fitting someone else’s style into your own. The song is so busy but moves at such a fast pace you don’t have time to be confused. Synths, pianos, and drums jump off each other creating the kinetic energy that keeps the song at this speed. The buoyant vocals shine alongside it, highlighting a key point of this album, vocals and music working in great harmony.

Unfortunately, Nu.Clear does move onto the ballad portion, or just slowed down portion, with “Day by Day.” Again Son Youngjin is on production duties this time with the help of more Cube regulars Ferdy and Big Sancho. More of an acoustic slow jam than a ballad, “Day by Day” isn’t the worst of its kind but comes unwanted in this otherwise bright album. I’m not of the belief that mini-albums like this need to be paced in the same way as full length albums. Give me all the bubblegum pop I can take. That chorus would fit right into any Disney musical so will be likeable to a lot of listeners. Like on all of the tracks, I really like Yeeun’s rap. Her childish and cheeky delivery is always fun and brings CLC’s music to life.

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The more sentimental, subdued tracks continue with “Dear My Friend.” I didn’t find any translated lyrics for it but I bet it’s one of those sappy songs about how much CLC love their fans or each other or something cheesy like that. At least this one is musically a bit more interesting than “Day by Day.” Jo Sungho and Ferdy return for the production to give the verses some edge with plodding synths. The chorus is weak though and reminds me of a charity song from the 80s, which reminds me of songs I never want to listen to twice.

Were CLC trying to give us every variation of the boring album track on this album. Nu.Clear started so brightly but slowly faded into disappointment. Ferdy (I’m starting to dislike this person) produces solo this time on “Before,” the most ballady out of the last three songs. I think the thing I hate most about ballads like this is the guitar that strums the same three chords over and over in the chorus. It does make me like the two previous songs a little more though, and I am thankful again for the raps.

Nu.Clear weaves together a number of great sounds that perfectly complement a rookie girl group. Like Oh My Girl, CLC exude the youthful exuberance of teenage girls and never try to go beyond their means. The first half reflects this with three blistering tracks of pure joy while the second slows things down for a mellower time. The first half is considerably better in my mind but the slower tracks don’t ruin the experience totally. It is their best release by far since their debut with “Pepe” so hopefully will spell a time of good fortune for them.

What do you think about CLC’s Nu.Clear? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, and Tumblrto keep up with all of our posts.