K-POP Reviews

IU - Twenty-three / f(x) - 4 Walls [K-song Review #8]

It has been a while hasn't it? But please, don't be too mad! I have Christmas tests coming up soon and I need to get stuck into study. However, I will be doing this review and hopefully some album reviews soon enough! There has been quite a bit of good stuff circulating the interweb as of recent and I for one am keen to get into it!

--

IU - Twenty-three

So, our very special IU is back with a new album 'Chat-Shire'. I think that this is the title track but there may be more than one - I am not sure because there was previews for other songs too. Also, side note, IU will not be promoting this album on music shows like Music Bank because she wants to be more intimate with fans etc. etc.. I appreciate where she is coming from but those of us who don't live in Korea, how are we to see performances live of hers. It kind of sucks but it will be good for IU herself and her home-based fans.

Let us get on to the actual song and video shall we!

This whole thing is slightly different and more mature than what we have seen from IU before. The beat is quicker and heavier. It still has her usual quirkiness that we are all used to by now and her artistry - which I love.

The verses are dare I say it - funky and the drum is very strong. The 'question' and 'huh' parts break up the verse very nicely so you don't get the usual K-pop thing where they have mediocre verses and the cool chorus. This song carries this vibe throughout which I love. Her vocal range is really on show too - she is hitting those low notes pretty awesomely.

The chorus though is a real gem! The rift is just super catchy and very IU. This isn't your usual K-pop sound but it is very IU as she has her own sound despite the fact that she is still growing as an artist. Remember 'Marshmallow'? The lyrics are very odd - they probably have a very deep meaning about growing up and becoming whoever you want to be. I love the line 'Pretends to be a fox that pretends to be a bear that pretends to be a fox or a completely different one'. IU has a commentary on the world and I think that is really coming out in this song. I think she helped produce the songs too so they definitely contain a bit of what she believes.

That video though.

It is an Alice in Wonderland theme and IU is of course Alice and follows a rabbit down a hole. The scene where she is playing at a table by herself, throwing food around and just being a goof is so cute and fun to watch! The video really matches the song though, which I really appreciate. The part where she is sucking in a baby's bottle and then pouring the drink over a dolls head where she wants to becoming a 'moist woman' - genius!

The set is a very different one too from the usual videos where you dance in a box (cough*super junior*cough). A lot of work has gone into this video post production which you can definitely see with all the effects being thrown around! The ending scene though where IU comes to a sign post with directions pointing off each and every way is very significant though and really conveys the meaning of the whole song in one scene.

Power to the IU team!

However, despite the fact that I really like this song and the video and just what IU is doing, her work will never really be something that I listen to again and again years later. There is something very sweet about her music, despite the fact that this song is a lot harder than her usual thing and I like hardcore stuff - as you all may know by now. There are a few special low-key, raw, drawn back songs that I love and adore and will play for years to come but this isn't it.

It is a good song but it is missing that special something for me.

Despite this, I really recommend you check the song out for yourself because I can see why people are avid fans of IU and are drawn into her fandom. So, if you love the low key life and an astounding vocal range and a unique flare you'll probably love IU and her work. If you enjoy a hard beat and strong lyrics and raps, this isn't it I'm afraid.

Also, last note, congrats to IU for coming out and admitting her relationship recently with some fella who I can't remember the name of now!

--

f(x) - 4 Walls

f(x) are back! After a long time away, a sole album by Amber and the leave of member Sulli, the girls are returning as a four piece group for their new album '4 Walls'. I think I will be doing a whole album review for this because *spoiler alert* it is amazing! I am not a huge fan of this group. Their songs for the most part are good but nothing as ever really stuck with me. The wardrobe is always weird and the girls are usually put into bad sets where they walk about and just dance. They never really have a plot to their music video and this one kind of does I guess?

The song though itself is very different than their usual thing and is definitely gone in the right direction. Where I always though that these girls had an odd, music concept that was distinctly theirs, I never particularly enjoyed it because it was usually all about the choruses and the verses were always mediocre and forgotten about. I am just going to say it, and I know these girls have a lot of fans, but I don't love any of their previous songs. They are unfocused and all over the place. They were all to do with colour and being different and standing out that they forgot what real, just good music was.

I think they have found it with this album and song. '4 Walls' is a crazy house song that has this beat that is quite reminiscent of SHINee's 'View'. I see a lot more artists like SHINee and even G.Soul going down this route and I for one really love it. This song isn't really a party song, it is more of a chill house song that speaks volumes in lyrics and its tune.

Now, these lyrics are deep and I haven't a clue what half of it means because I am not bothered to read into it much. But I am just going to put it out there, that other than the chorus itself, my favourite part is most definitely Amber's rap. Her voice is a lot deeper and harder than a lot of other girl group rappers. A lot of them are probably just singers but a group needs to stick in an awkwardly placed rap don't they? Amber though is just someone very special in her line of work. And though she is definitely the rapper of the group her singing is beautiful too! (If you haven't noticed, Amber is definitely my bias..)

Despite the fact that I don't think any of the members helped with the lyrics or production of the song, you can really hear how the group and matured and changed in the past year or two. 'Red Light' had been probably my favourite song of theirs before this album came out. Needless to say, this song most definitely overtook it.

The music video is beautiful too and wonderfully shot. Again, like Red Velvet, I feel like a filter was placed on this video because the colour payoff is stunning. The whole thing, as far as I know, was shot on Jeju Island in Korea - which was a brilliant back drop. The video is just the girls transporting from different tranquil scenes to the next and then going back in time to stop the cup from falling. It is all very odd but definitely meshing well with the chill vibe of the song.

Also, it just came to me there as I was thinking about it, their chorus 'Love is four walls' probably means that you cannot escape from love and all that jazz.

Metaphors in K-pop are pretty hardcore.

This is the kind of song that I would show to someone who wasn't into the whole K-pop scene in order to get them invested. It isn't too crazy but the beat and feel is just right. This is a song that I will definitely have on repeat over and over again because it is that awesome.

I had G.Soul's mini album on repeat for so long. I have an odd feeling that I will have this one on for longer!

SM you are killing it!