This week for our K-pop faves, we turned to up and coming faces that we’re all familiarizing ourselves with. To balladeers to rappers to amazing SM Entertainment performers, these are our faves. “Francesca” by Hash Swan feat. Dean (Released Feb. 21) Earlier this week, the rapper and Show Me the Money alumni Hash Swan dropped […]
Following the resignation of CEO Na Byung Joon under controversial circumstances, Fantagio Entertainment and all its artists’ short term futures were in doubt. Weki Meki were one of those groups and had apparently been preparing a comeback as the news broke. Thankfully things settled down enough for them to bring their follow up to debut […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/28342643_954959777995167_1898900365_o.jpg6661000Joe Palmerhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngJoe Palmer2018-02-22 05:38:562018-02-22 12:46:51Weki Meki’s “Lucky” Album Review
This week for our K-pop faves, we turned to up and coming faces that we’re all familiarizing ourselves with. To balladeers to rappers to amazing SM Entertainment performers, these are our faves. “Francesca” by Hash Swan feat. Dean (Released Feb. 21) Earlier this week, the rapper and Show Me the Money alumni Hash Swan dropped […]
Following the resignation of CEO Na Byung Joon under controversial circumstances, Fantagio Entertainment and all its artists’ short term futures were in doubt. Weki Meki were one of those groups and had apparently been preparing a comeback as the news broke. Thankfully things settled down enough for them to bring their follow up to debut […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/28342643_954959777995167_1898900365_o.jpg6661000Joe Palmerhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngJoe Palmer2018-02-22 05:38:562018-02-22 12:46:51Weki Meki’s “Lucky” Album Review
This week for our K-pop faves, we turned to up and coming faces that we’re all familiarizing ourselves with. To balladeers to rappers to amazing SM Entertainment performers, these are our faves.
“Francesca” by Hash Swan feat. Dean (Released Feb. 21)
Earlier this week, the rapper and Show Me the Money alumni Hash Swan dropped his second mini album, Alexandrite. The record features a slew of famed producers, such as Cha Cha Malone and Gray. For the album cut “Francesca,” Hash Swan teamed up with Dean and delivered a “Havana”-esque tune. The rapper’s laid-back flow paired with Dean’s own signature crooning plus rapping create a mellow vibe and is a low key bop.
“Baby Don’t Stop” by Ten and Taeyong of NCT U (Performed Feb. 24)
So it’s not technically out yet until tomorrow, but Taeyong and Ten‘s NCT U duet of “Baby Don’t Stop” premiered on the 24th, so it counts for this week. The minimalist track utilizes digitized drum beats and a smooth bass riff to provide a melody over which Ten and Taeyong alternate between smooth crooning verses and deep-voiced raps. Both are known as dancers in the group, and the performance perfectly pairs their dynamic grace. The best part about it, personally, is that it gives Ten a chance to fully show off his vocals, in a way he wasn’t necessarily able to do in NCT U’s “The 7th Sense” or even own solo “Dream In A Dream,” where the ambiance overtook his vocal delivery. But with a clear tone and his charisma that has made him NCT’s No. 1 Bias Ruiner, “Baby Don’t Stop,” at least the performance version if not the single and MV itself, give Ten that moment to shine while countering it with Taeyong’s smolder. It’s honestly one of the most mature sounds NCT’s shown off so far, and I’d love to see more of it.
Coming off the success of his first mini-album “His Voice,” balladeer Jung Seung Hwan made his return to the K-pop scene with his first full album Spring Again. While it is mostly an album of slow ballads, “Excuses” stands out for the amazing vocal technique and range he displays in this song. From the instrumentals which come across more harshly here than in the other tracks to the overall more angsty mood of this song, there is ample room for Jung Seung Hwan to express himself here, and he pours in his emotions in a way that he’s never done before. For me, “Excuses” beats out even the title track of this album, “It’s Raining,” and it shows his immense growth as an artist even over the short span of this year, evidenced also by how he wrote the lyrics of this song (and others in the album) with his CEO Yoo Hee Yeol. It’s only the beginning for this talented vocalist, and I can’t wait to listen to more.
—Anna
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Following the resignation of CEO Na Byung Joon under controversial circumstances, Fantagio Entertainment and all its artists’ short term futures were in doubt. Weki Meki were one of those groups and had apparently been preparing a comeback as the news broke. Thankfully things settled down enough for them to bring their follow up to debut mini WEME and divisive single “I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend.” They have done that in the form of Lucky, their second mini album which seems to be going as far from their debut as can be. “I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend” was a song of many contradictions and the album it came on was equally filled with ups and downs. As an album, Lucky is tonally much more coherent and an easier listen. Let’s find out if that’s a good or bad thing.
As is common in K-pop minis, Lucky opens with an intro track by the same name. I love K-pop intros. At their best they are abstract representations of the albums that follow it. They don’t have to follow pop rules so tend to be the most unconventional K-pop can be. They can also be like “Lucky,” acting as a slightly remixed and shorter version of the single it precedes. Alongside “La La La” producer Rodnae “Chik” Bell; Hyuk Shin, MRey, and Ashley Alisha (all members of the Joombas Music Group) are the composers here and don’t do much to alter “La La La.” It sounds like they put the harsh processed drums of “I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend” underneath and added heavier bass. As an intro it doesn’t differentiate itself enough from the follow to warrant inclusion.
The lead single “La La La” is, unfortunately, similarly derivative of much more interesting songs. In what seems like a response to criticism of their debut, “La La La” has the energy of “I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend” without any of the eccentricities. It replaces the electronics with a variety of guitars and brass in favour of a more traditional pop stomper style. Vocally, it stifles them. The members are restricted to trying more soulful singing and straightforward rapping. On “IDLYG” the girls could just about match the gleeful twists and turns of the track, pulling it into something that works. On “La La La” they do nothing to change the direction of the song.
This is best evidenced by the chorus’ lack of movement. Musically it has an almost imperceptible change which could have been fine if the vocals went somewhere. The “laaaaa la la las” and the cheeky rap one liners are nowhere near enough, though. Wherever you lie on the “IDLYG” scale, this is a major disappointment as the highly anticipated successor.
Luckily though, Weki Meki may soon become the queens of b-sides if their albums continue work like this. “Iron Boy,” produced by the Full8loom team, is the third track and a delectable slice of 80s style electro pop. Like all great retro tracks the key to success is a juicy bass line. On “Iron Boy” it gets things going alongside Doyeon’s slight but sultry voice. From there it blends more physical elements like a guitar with some wonderful synths. Like “La La La,” its structure doesn’t do anything new. But crucially it has musical progression. By the time the chorus comes along there is now spurts of brass and fluctuating synths. There are layers to its production and the members fit it well; Sei and Suyeon’s vocals in particular stand out, as they seem just about caught in the back of their throats in a childish but powerful way.
“Metronome” is much more modern. Producers Trippy and Le’mon weave a heavier house riff around the more indifferent vocals of the girls. A piano is used to create some sense of emotion in contrast to the bassy synths. It is in a sense monotonous like its title would suggest. The song transitions using the piano parts but does so with such nonchalance that it suggests that Weki Meki feel that thin line between dancing and emoting.
Full8loom return for the final two tracks “Colour Me” and Butterfly, both of which continue the retro theme. “Colour Me” is very much in the Bruno Mars mold of nostalgia. Disco synths and funk beats meet to create a super comfortable feeling. It gives the girls some room to stretch their vocals, even more than previous songs. In the pre-chorus there are some great harmonies, and the chorus has a variety of strong high pitches and whispers.
“Butterfly” is the epitome of a winter cash in. It’s plodding retro bass drum and chimes are cliched almost to the point of parody here. It is a cover, however, of “Butterfly” by Loveholic, and these parts are there to make it relevant to the Winter Olympics. The chorus remains utterly impressive. Bonus points for the adorable sign language choreography. Minus points for reminding me of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
Lucky is a settler for Weki Meki. Their rocky debut might have slowed their potential ascent thanks to Doyeon and Yoojung’s fame but it also made them distinct. Lucky doesn’t quite have the ballad lows or the “Fantastic” highs of WEME, and honestly suffers for it. Given a stronger single it could have been the perfectly solid mini they needed. Instead it falters right from the beginning and spends the rest of its run time trying to catch up. It is slick from there on in but not quite unique enough to match the Weki Meki we have come to love or hate.
Weki Meki's "Lucky"
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https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/28342643_954959777995167_1898900365_o.jpg6661000Joe Palmerhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngJoe Palmer2018-02-22 05:38:562018-02-22 12:46:51Weki Meki’s “Lucky” Album Review
