EXO-K's "MAMA EP" Album Review

EXO, another group I just got into recently... Heck I don't even know which member is which yet.

But a main topic within the community regarding this group is usually either between complaining how they haven't came back yet or how much their debut sucked/didn't live up to the hype...

But one of the topics that got me was how this group didn't do so well in Korea.

This is partially the reason why I am only reviewing EXO-K's version of the album and not EXO-M's version, but I may save that for a later date, who knows?

For now, it's time to do a review! :)

Mama 

If I could just say one thing about this song, it would be... epic!

This is actually a modern day masterpiece and it came from SM, in 2012?! Since when do they make masterpieces that are both musically and thematically appeasing to both the ears and the imagination!

The level of skill put into the production is almost god-like, the staccato of the violins accentuated by a powerful kick and a snare light enough to not detract from the aforementioned kick but with enough presence to give the song enough of a drumbeat to be still considered a song and not a musical arrangement/experiment like 2PM's Heartbeat (not that it's a bad thing, but title tracks need presence).

The breakdown is beautiful and the video itself is reminiscent of Michael Jackson's late 90's work. That's a compliment, trust me... I seriously get the strongest "Earth Song" meets "Skyrim" vibe from this song.

And the vocals, mother of god are they handled beautifully! O_O

This is a level of vocal mastering that could rival some of the big western companies, coupled with the unique but familiar sound of this song that is so different to most K-Pop songs, you have a freaking hit!

Also, I think his name is Baekhyun? He is only a rookie and he has some of the best male vocal work I have seen in K-Pop, let alone SM Entertainment, since the likes of Kim Jonghyun and Lee Jinki doing a duet...

Let's just say that the future is really bright for him, he just needs to keep his head up and stay focused and he will become an amazing vocalist in about 4-5 years... (And he'll finally get that duet he wanted with his Taeyeon-noona...).

Also, before I neglect to mention this... Screaming in a K-Pop song? What?

THIS SONG IS TOO FREAKING AWESOME!!!

10/10

What Is Love

OMG, MAMA IS SO AWESOME, WHAT'S NEXT?!

Eh... What's this? :(

Was my initial reaction to this song, but then I realized that it would be unfair to compare the two songs as they serve a different purpose musically... So I decided to give it another try and I found the beauty in this song.

It's such a weird ballad, not weird in a bad way, but just different... The beat is played by a kick drum, a clap and a freaking Taiko? That just confused the hell out of me, but then I realized that it added to the song in so many ways... Despite the fact that it was rather repetitive, as well as that annoying as hell bass sitar riff.

The production value is there and it's pretty darn good, everything is clean and polished, but this song just isn't my cup of tea. I can respect how good it is, but I couldn't rate it as highly as Mama, because I don't like songs like this unless they are done rather well (like this one) and the vocals are legit...

Speaking of legit vocals, these guys are quite literally DBSK and Super Junior combined, with a dash of SHINee thrown in here and there... They have a feeling of togetherness and unity that Super Junior are famed for (because their vocals aren't amazing) and they have the vocal ability of DBSK with a hint of explosiveness yet uniqueness that made SHINee so viable in the Korean Market (read: Hallyu Wave).

That vocal quality is shown here a lot more than it is in Mama, and that's due to the fact that ballads are designed for this sort of cause, and the vocals in this song are the saving grace for me, not the actual track.

Ah well... 8/10

History

This song is so funky... Literally, James Brown could come back from the dead and sing this thing. (If he knew Korean or Chinese...)

This needs to be a new genre... Synth Funk!

That's literally what it is, it's synths around a beat consisting of EDM drums and world instruments with a funky rhythm and strangely enough? It works.

The production value is excellent as always throughout this entire song, everything flows musically and thematically. The vocals have a tad too much reverb at times but otherwise they are handled perfectly and the raps are just executed perfectly in this song. It wasn't too fast or too slow, everything just flowed like a lyrical river! :)

And the rest they say? Well, it's history... 9/10

Angel

Another ballad, but this time it is done perfectly right! Gosh, I think this is the first time I've encountered an album where every song has been near enough to perfection! (Excluding SNSD's first album, and even then that album had some hits and misses).

The vocals here are just divine perfection, they flowed, they gave you chills and they were mastered with the delicate hands of a spring fairy. It fits the song so well and gave you a warm feeling inside, matching the theme perfectly.

It showcases how amazing the vocals of this group are and how in tune they are with each other. The production value is very simple in execution in comparison to the other songs, but that's where the beauty lies... It's simple but it gets the point across and fits the thematic puzzle perfectly.

It's literally like an angel came out of heaven and wrote this song just to give the world of K-Pop something nice to listen to.

Overall, props to SM for making a beautiful ballad song for a really talented group... 10/10

Two Moons

Sigh... Exo better thank their hyung for saving this song, because this would've been completely awful without him.

Exo! You were doing so well, and then you created this! What the hell happened! >:O

Basically, it's a trap beat with some okay rapping, the production value is thankfully still good and it's not a terrible song per se, but it's not great or even good to be honest.

Chanyeol's second rap was alright and Key's rap brought a sense of structure to this chaotic mess, and furthermore the chorus is just completely forgettable... Sehun should never rap again to be honest, if this is what he brings to the table and Kai's "I'm good" at the end was pretty ironic, because in this song he was no where near good, but I would be generous and gift him with an okay.

But honestly, I cheated a bit and took a look at EXO-M's version and I realized that the two groups are rapping in a similar way anyway (it's not exactly the same because Korean and Chinese are two completely different languages...).

So then this might not be the fault of the group, but rather of the lyricists/songwriters involved with the production/creation of this song. Therefore the blame doesn't lie solely on Exo's shoulders.

But at this point in time? It doesn't excuse the fact that this song exists and it is bad, therefore it is now a black mark on the legacy of EXO.

6/10

Machine

(Before I start, this is not an official MV, but I used this version because of the breakdown at the end, which I assumed to be part of the song...).

This song is a return to the status quo of Exo's album consisting of only good songs!

After listening to all of the others, this one doesn't have as much of an impact as the others, but it's just as catchy, if not even more catchier. The production value is excellent for a pseudo-techno/glitch-hop song, trust me that is hard to do, props to the producer.

The vocals are handled nicely and overall the song isn't too complex, but neither does it really stick out too much. I think the beauty of this song is the breakdown...

I'm a dubstep fan, and normally I don't like any variation of pop mixing with dubstep, because it usually never turns out right. However, with Exo, I will always make an exception because that drop was freaking awesome!

That's all I had to say about that song... 8/10

Now with all of this evidence in front of me, I am confused as to why they are not so popular in Korea?

They have the makings of a fine group both musically and aesthetically and they even have a sort of SuJu/DBSK feel that I thought a lot fangirls would love, especially because they are freshly baked oppas filled with energy, youth and charisma! ^_^

But in all seriousness, I think they need something to push them, perhaps more promotion and not the kind that forces them down people's throats... And one more thing that they need?

A comeback! Like this album, but even better!

Average Track Rating: 8.5/10

Album Rating: 9/10

2PM's "01:59PM" Album Review

I just got into 2PM recently and I like their sound and their concept, it's very unique! :D

I actually got to know them through Jay Park who did a song with Dumbfoundead, and I love Dumb! XD

But that's beside the point, these guys are good, with or without their hyung (though preferably with...).

This one sparked my interest because this was the album that Jay left the group at, and it was also their first album and I just can't help but think of what could've been... It's a shame really...

Ah well, let's get on with it!

Heartbeat

Well well well... THIS SONG!!!

Isn't all that great to be honest. Not to say that it's mediocre or even bad, but the entire piece feels like it's lacking something... The beat is great and all for its concept, but the kick needs some de-tuning and there needs to be more snare included, the drums are lacking completely in this song. The vocals are very unique and interesting and you can hear the turmoil in each of the rappers voices, the flow is dope too yo!

However I think that the rappers need to work on the actual delivery and as a rapper as well, I can relate with that too. Every rapper needs to deepen their tone regardless of concept, lyricism or even the emotion in delivery, otherwise it will just sound like spoken word. That's where the true beauty of rap can be shown, by the tone of your voice... If it sounds too light or too high-pitched then it completely ruins your work. (Hence the reason why Eminem had to slightly change his persona and delivery as he matured as an artist because he realized that in order to get more emotionally driven songs out, he would have to change something about himself in order for it to be taken seriously...).

Overall this is definitely a very theatrical song as opposed to a musical one (which might be part of the reason why 2PM gained their reputation as Beastly Idols), the MV adds to the concept with breathtaking choreography that is both unique to the K-Pop scene and very interesting to watch.

The song is well delivered and it remains one of my favourites to listen to, but unfortunately because of the production value (read: artistic integrity) it loses points...

(8/10)

Tired of Waiting

Now normally I don't really go crazy over songs with a lot of auto-tune, but fortunately for me this was actually a decently well put together song. It's quite obviously a dance track with some house elements here and there and the vocals were layered well with just enough autotune to get the T-Pain effect and not drive me crazy.

I have limited understanding of Korean and I found myself singing along to the chorus, truly an understatement of how catchy this song is, Taecyeon's rap didn't sound horribly forced and nor did any of the ad-libs (then again everything was auto-tuned so I can't really add any points there, because it's hard to discern the naturalism of those ad-libs).

Regardless, the producer gets a thumb up from me for putting together a nice song that although it doesn't leave a huge amount of impact on me as a listener, it is nice to listen to and gets you clicking your fingers rather quickly.

(8/10)

I Was Crazy About You

I really like how unique this group is... The piano part at the beginning accompanied by the army sounds as percussion is truly production genius, and the EDM drums kick in and I fall in love~

Or rather I would if the vocals didn't hurt me inside...

In the song before having copious amounts of auto-tune is bearable because of the fact that it fits within the theme of the song, but in this song the autotune distracts away from how beautiful the composition is and this seems to be a recurring theme throughout the song.

Taecyeon (or Chansung, I could be wrong) comes in announcing the break with the cinematic violins and the original army sounds coming in and accompanying the rap awesomely then the EDM drums come back in and-- Let's just say that the breakdown was awesome! :)

Then it's ruined by the key change... It was just unnecessary, not built up correctly and overall bad.

The song had potential to be miles better than it is and could've been delivered with a lot more justice if the execution wasn't so lackluster... The production value has its merits and its uniqueness that I like, but overall this song is just poor.

(6/10)

Gimme the Light

Can I say one thing about this song? Just one?

DAT KICK!!!

Okay, I'm done... This song is well done, perfectly arranged with the vocals sounding like they belong in the song. It isn't overdosed on autotune and it shows off the member's vocal abilities.

This obviously has some RnB feel to it mixed with a little bit of Trap and that's always a good combination for a nice, chill but laid back song. The vocals are smooth enough to get me nodding along to the beat and it just sounds nice, it doesn't sound too experimental or anything and I think that's where it is lacking.

2PM strikes me as a group that likes to mess around with music and do crazy stuff with their tracks to see if it sounds nice or not and that's what I like about them, this song sounds too safe to be their style, don't get me wrong it works and the song is good, but it just sounds too much like any other K-Pop group and it also sounds too much like Album Filler...

All in all, good song, but it just needs something and I don't know what it is but they need to add it in...

(8/10)

Back 2U

Usher! Why does the intro scream of Usher and why do I like it so much?

Because Usher was unique to his generation of music, and so are these guys... That's why! ^_^

The hook is so catchy and brilliantly delivered as is the rest of the song, it's honestly like listening to pre-2008 Usher in Korean and that is always an amazing ear-pleasing musical experience. The acoustic guitar and the blaring synths compliment each other in so many ways it's actually unfathomable and the kicks are perfectly accentuated to the track, overall the production value is top tier! :)

The amount of autotune is still prevalent but not in your face so it's a good touch, but I would've preferred more natural-sounding vocals personally, and maybe if the synths weren't so aggressive... But then that would make it a ballad song and unfortunately, 2PM has a rep to maintain, they aren't ballad singers.

Ah well, it's a good song with great production value and performed by a great band. I liked it :)

(8/10)

All Night Long

The guy in the intro had a really decent Cleveland Brown impression, but the smoothness reminded of a Barry White sound mixed in with some R-Kelly here and there. But there wasn't much moer than that to leave an impression on me musically.

The production value was good, but the vocals were rather dull and boring and just didn't register on an emotional level to me. The song fits the theme well, and the breakdowns before the second chorus were a good change in pace so there was some variation in there as well, but honestly they could've done a bit more with the song.

First, eliminate the rap completely, it was good but it was just not needed in this song at all... And the song is way too low energy throughout even if it is a 'pillow talk' song... I actually yawned whilst reviewing this, and I do that with songs... Ever!

Overall, not a bad effort but it needed something more interesting to be thrown into the mix...

(7/10)

Heartbeat (Red Light Mix)

Now normally I discount remixes, but because of the fact that they are technically different songs, I will change that ruling from now on... Unfortunately, I will draw comparisons to the original here and there, for reference...

Now this version sounds infinitely more powerful AND professional than the original. Unfortunately it loses the character that made the original unique and dramatic...

In short, this version is more listenable and musically pleasing to the ears, the trap elements and classical piano make this song make this such a great song to listen to! ^_^

The production value is just so good, Omona! XD

Furthermore, the chorus sounds so much better, its put together more nicely and the vocals (everywhere) sound clean, polished and handled with due care and attention. This will quite easily find itself on my iPod and become a permanent resident there! :)

(9/10)

10 Out of 10

10 jeom manjeome 10 jeom!

This freaking song and my iPod are best buddies because of how goofy it is, how catchy it is and overall how surprisingly well produced it is.

The electric guitar riff and the club synths make this song so much enjoyable because it gives it so much energy, the raps are well delivered, the vocals are perfectly coiffed and groomed for this song and the breakdown with the trumpets made me eargasm...

Hard.

You wanna know what else made me eargasm hard? Jay Park's ad-libs nearing the end... So freaking awesome! :D

But for real, I need to stop fanboying them and get back to making this as professionally critiqued as possible and talk about the downsides...

The quality of the MV is not doing the song justice one bit, might I add, but one problem that persists throughout is the awkward pauses between each rap (which is mostly fulfilled with the guitar riff or club synth but not always...)  that can be a bit off-putting, but otherwise there isn't much wrong here...

So my score for them is-- "10/10"

Sorry... It had to be done, here's the actual score. (8/10)

Only You

I like this song... It really keeps within the whole unique approach to music motif that 2PM seem to be going for, Swelled Strings in the back with a club beat overriding my headphones is always a great way to get my head nodding along to a song after all! :)

The main problem I have with this is how much the entire song sounds like filler, it has an interesting musical concept but after hearing all the other amazing tracks on the album, this song just seems bog-standard and uninteresting in comparison.

The most important thing for a song to have is character, something that makes it stand out as a piece, and unfortunately this song is literally too boring (in that aspect), like the producer just decided to play it safe and throw in some album filler just to make sure his client wasn't upset...

Overall, I give it this rating due to how dull it was as a song on its own and in comparison to the other pieces in the album... (7/10)

Not bad, but it could be better.

Again & Again

This song, this freaking song!

No matter how highly you rate it, you still wouldn't be able to rate it highly enough. This was released as a single and I was so happy about it, I almost cried... This song is everything that Heartbeat needed more of both musically and emotionally.

The Heartbeat remix was a good idea of how the title track should sound, but then I heard this song and all of the woes and worries about Heartbeat were pushed to the back of my mind.

Kudos to JYP for producing this bad boy, and most of the rest of their album... XD

The vocals (though at points they are autotuned to hell) are treated like kings and the arrangement as well as the balance of the same synth featured in Red Light's heartbeat was found here as well, how's that for foreshadowing! :P

But there's a problem... THE FREAKING RAP!!!

Why do both Taecyeon and Chansung sound like they were recorded in a bathroom! The singers sound like they got five star treatment, but both Taec and Chan sound like they were dropped off in the sleaziest motel in Nevada.

That's not right and quite frankly it's disrespectful to the rappers to have their vocals sounding so rough and unpolished, the producer should be fired for this!

... Oh, wait.

But regardless, it's a good song and it has a permanent residency on my iPod, I just wish that the rappers would sound like they are actually on the track and that the singers weren't so freaking auto-tuned...

kthxbai (9/10)

I Hate You

This song is okay, but it sounds like such an expy for "Again and Again" at parts, and at other parts it just bores me. The vocals for everyone that isn't Junsu or Jay Park gets autotuned to hell and back, and the beat really doesn't do the structure of the song justice.

Things pick up at the chorus, but that's about it really... The song strikes out to me more than other songs I've deemed okay have, but it's lacking in so many other things that make a song more viable and listenable for wow factor. Ir's a shame too because this actually seems like a nice song once you get past everything wrong with it.

Overall? (7/10)

Maybe She'll Come Back 

Oh nice a ballad! Wait... Is this 2am now? This song is a pretty good way to end the album, after a non-stop barrage of unique and awesome club bangers, it's nice to cool down and relax with a good old-fashioned ballad...

But with this song, it shows me why 2am are the ballad group. This song isn't even a complete ballad and yet I can hear the discomfort in the voices of the group and its telling me that they aren't made for ballads, not to say that the vocals are bad in any way, it just doesn't sound like it fits the song.

The beat is alright, it does the job and has some nice synth action going on in there... Nothing too crazy and plays it on the safe side a bit, but that's great for semi-ballads.

The rap is okay too, but I think that it would've been better if it wasn't done at all, I'd rather hear Chansung and Taecyeon's singing voices on this track than their rapping... But, oh well.

(8/10)

Sigh... My 2nd album review! It felt like just over a week ago I did my first one! ^_^

Oh, wait.

Stay reading, because I'll have another album review out for you shortly, or you could even leave a suggestion, who knows! :)

This was a good album, very unique and it truly emphasizes 2PM's style and leaves a firm stamp on their image as 'Beastly Idols'... I enjoyed it, but I felt as if some of the songs were too plain, where others were too adventurous and ambitious and it didn't work in the favor of a person who enjoys the end results of musical experiments (such as myself).

Regardless, the songs that were good were amazing! The songs were okay were average...

My final scoring! :O

Average Track Rating (7.8/10)
Album Rating (8/10)