"Crystal Clear" is an odd name to condense to CLC, but whatever, it's certainly not the strangest name in Kpop. CLC is a good, easy to remember, roll-off-the-tongue kind of name, so it works. I think this group has a great chance of success for many reasons, starting off with the fact that the classy-cute but full of attitude vibe suits the generalized production vibe of CUBE Entertainment. A-Pink deviates significantly from the party line expected from a CUBE artist so I'm not surprised that their cutesy debut came very close to flopping. They've since recovered beautifully, but it was a worrisome situation. BtoB was fell into line more with A-Pink than with Beast or 4 Minute and they've never been used to their full potential. CLC is much more what I would have expected from a Cute Concept Group from CUBE than anything else they've orchestrated.
           There's plenty of aegyo and innocence and high smoothe vocals, but there's also a lot of sass and synth overlay that add energy and interest to the whole release. It's pop-y and peppy and perfectly cute, while being sharp synthed and pumped with bright energy enough to show off an undercurrent of aggressive confidence, the sort that comes from a self-awareness of being awesome. The sassy-ass hair-flips are the prime example, being sudden sharp movements laced within the sugary-sweet oohs and aahs and smooth 'shy' shoulder shrugs. The track itself back up the attitude-but-adorable vibe, being filled with sweet high notes carried off by strong, full-bodied vocals that haven't been squished by cute-i-fication. The backing instrumentals are quirky and set at a nice mid-level that keeps the baseline feeling light, but still allows the high notes to shine as quite a stretch.
            The video is fabulous, on all counts. The visuals of the settings are unique and identifiable without being so bizarre that they don't mesh with the rest of the genre. The styling is classy and cutesy, the sports-wear being off-set by pastel pinks for cute-ness, and skin-tight elements in classic black that bring in the sexy and sensual while still being somewhat reserved and the non-coordinate sports-wear is off-set by the aegyo-acting. The classy little-black-dress outfits are off-set by the fluffy skirts, the pale-paneling, and the adorable cheerleader ponytails. The choreography is flawless, paired perfectly with the flow of the track, meshed well into the styling, and captured perfectly by the camera's movements. There's enough glamour shots to start learning the differences between the the members and then at the end the helpful snapshots allow us to put names to the faces we've begun to learn. I like how the names come at the end rather than the beginning (like in many debut MVs) because in the beginning, I don't know the differences in the faces well enough to able to identify them as the video progresses. But after watching them for a few minutes? The names actually stick.
              All in all, this is a fantastic release and a fabulous debut. I'm delighted with what they've got right now and I'm excited about their release prospects for the future.

           NS Yoon-G's provided a plethora of bright and distinct concepts over the years and this release certainly lives up to that reputation in a lot of ways. In terms of 2015 Kpop, the track's vaguely hollow vibe is rather unusual, but it brings up a deep nostalgia for mid-2000's western R&B. I enjoy the chill feel that the slower-paced and wider-spaced instrumental elements bring to the table (even despite their being uncomfortably close to those in Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real"). Yoon-G's voice is light and airy, and more than fluid enough to make the chill track hum with a lowkey energy. The styling is lovely, though it's quite the standardized uniform of generic Kpop at the point with no particularly memorable elements.The choreography is simple and fun, suiting the song's movements quite well and providing for a lovely visual distinction from the glamour shots. The whole release is quite enjoyable.
            It's not particularly catching or revolutionary, but it's quite pleasant and a fairly solid release.

          I am not typically a huge fan of the indie genre, but sometimes gems like this are produced. It's an adorable video showing, with sugary-sweet lyrics, depicting a very cute story of an on-again-off-again relationship that is very easy to relate to for anyone who had ever been in any sort of relationship. They're aspects of the other that are just unbearable, pieces of them that are so frustrating you don't think you'll ever get over them, but having fallen in love for a reason, sometimes the important bits surface again, irresistibly. 
           The track is a relaxed jazzy thing with a perfect blend of low-key background instrumentation and complicated vocal rhythms. The voices complement well, and they use of each voice in their respective layers, splitting apart in moments of frustration and then coming together in moments of cute reconciliation, fleshes out the visual of the story in a wonderfully straightforward manner. It's a delightful little track, with an adorable and well-produced music video; a release that I'm very glad to have found.

           Girl's Day has been a great group, and it's fabulous to see Minah being allowed to hop on the Solo Debut band wagon. This track is not my favorite girl group release this season, but visually the MV makes up for a lot. The depiction of Minah dressed in glamorous, clean fashions while surrounded by settings of domestic decay give a visual breakdown of the relationship: Minah still values herself, even when her partner doesn't (which is important and unique in pre-break-up tracks). It seems for a moment, when the suitcase visual briefly comes into play, that Minah values herself enough to leave her partner, but unfortunately, the lyrics counteract that idea directly she essentially sells out to the rationales of an abusive relationship with a full blown sweep of battered woman syndrome: only remembering the good things, repeating the phrase 'I love You' until it's an ingrained habit, etc. It's especially unfortunate, because that terrible part of the lyrics corresponds to the best part of the track.
              Most of the song is bland. Minah's voice is gorgeous, but it's usage here is narrow (to the point of being more or less within the same octave even) and less than impressive, both in terms of flexibility and power (neither of which Minah's voice is lacking). Rhythmically, the track is quite impressive, and the catchiness is definitely in how the syllables fold neatly together and roll gently over themselves as they tumble along with the smooth progression of the backing track. The track doesn't evolve at all until the sudden change in the bridge, and it hardly move so much as circles until that point either. At the transition, Minah's voice gains a ton more power and picks up with energy far beyond anything else displayed in the song. It's kind of tragic that the worst lyrics get the best part of the song... And the choreography, is interesting, but it's pretty generic and rather less that suited to the lyrics, other than the few moments in the beginning with the counting on fingers bit. It's still a solid release and I'm even thought I'm not thrilled by it, I am satisfied.

           Automatic's base problems continue in Ice Cream Cake. This one has the additional problem of being achingly similar to B1A4's Solo Day... I wouldn't consider it truly plagiarized, but the aesthetic is just too similar to discount. They're not achieving the same effect, but with Solo Day only being a few seasons old... it just seems like another of SM's shortcuts. Which isn't criminal exactly, but is certainly not admirable.
          On it's own, Ice Cream Cake is quite lovely. I like the tie to the red velvet cake that comes up at the sound of the band's name, and the song itself is fairly good. There's a delightfully eerie cutesy-ness to it that I deeply enjoy. It's a nicely rounded song that moves fairly well and it's quite catchy. I like it much better than I do the Red Velvet tracks I've heard. The music-box element is especially delightful. I like the styling and the choreography, insofar as I can like anything generic. It has a cool twist of imagery though, juxtaposing the sweet charm of the visual against the track's eerie cant. The overt sexiness laced within the 'cute' imagery gives the visuals the same eerie feel as the track has. I enjoy that, though I'm not sure it's really what SM was going for. The only social comment I can pull out of it is that it's creepy as hell to sexualize little girls, and equally creepy to infantilize grown women, both of which are things that SM has never seemed to have any sort of problem with... So I'm at a loss.
          In short, the MV is full of recycled material and packed full of a vague, artsy ambiance that seems to be more akin to what SM has attempted to promote f(x) with (which is yet another slight against Red Velvet's sunbaes that SM is forcing them to commit). The ending is abrupt, and jarringly dissonant in a way that lacks a satisfying cadence. It's a catchy track with strong choreo, so I count it as a solid release.

           Red Velvet hasn't had the best series of first impressions on me. Their previous release was okay but the girls were startling in how similar they looked to each other. Having all of them go blonde for this release was definitely not a wise decision on SM's part (honestly, I think it would have been really cool if this 'group' was actually all one girl, just pretending to be four, now five, different people). Also, the addition of Yeri so recently after a debut... it's not something I approve of. They should have at least had a year as four before SM began messing with the dynamics. And on a similar note... it's atrociously unfair that Red Velvet has an official fanclub name while poor f(x) has been waiting for SIX YEARS. f(x) is a far superior group to Red Velvet on all counts, which should be a comment of no offense to the rookies. Red Velvet simply has done nothing to deserve the special treatment they're receiving and I disapprove. Highly.
           In regards to their recent release, Automatic is actually worthy of attention. It's a nice an jazzy low-key track with a smooth sweep of sounds that envelop the listener. It moves well and but it doesn't evolve over the course of the track, and none of the movement is profound or resonant in any way. It doesn't show off the girls' vocal capabilities, but I will admit to enjoying the whispery quality of the vocal lines in reference to the instrumental. Power vocals probably wouldn't sit nicely here anyway. 
          I like the music video, over all. Outside of the whole they're-all-blonde thing, the styling is gorgeous. The Choreography is fun and quite well-suited to the track. The vibe of the music video as a whole is awesome and quite unique, like a musical theater sort of aesthetic which is fantastic. I also like the visual ties to their next MV, Ice Cream Cake, via the car and such. It is a wonderful connection, but it's only a dressing rather than a significant basis for assessment. All in all, I do like it. I don't love it, but I do like it.

           GaIn is widely regarded as on of Kpop's high queens and she has every right to such a title. With Paradise Lost GaIn continues to show that she's a sex-goddess worthy of adoration. Personally, I'm a bit glad that she exchanged the overt, graphic sexiness of last year's Fxxk U, for a more metaphoric version. The depiction of the temptations of Eve is wonderful, and the producers have explained their reasoning for a lot of the wonderful imagery included in video. However, their explanations confuse me a bit because if what they were going for was the strong-willed, shaker-of-the-Heavens vibe... they could have used Lilith instead of Eve... (Lilith was Adam's 1st wife, the one that refused to lie beneath him). Admittedly, Milton's Eve from the epic poem, is spiteful and vindictive and actively attempting to undermine the Natural Order, which makes for a more dramatic story, but I think the Eve depicted in the MV is softer than than, more desperate than aggressive; a needy thirst for knowledge rather than an acute desire to destroy her own reality. Even Paradise can feel like a cage if it's painted in the right light...
             GaIn as Eve breaks free of her cage, and then tempts Adam to follow her. It's wonderfully depicted in how a snake appears above GaIn in the beginning and then in the black & white solo-scene she's in an outfit that is highly reminiscent of scale and her maneuvers are extraordinarily snake-like (and presented in direct correlation to a snake-shot), indicating that she she herself has become Adam's adder of temptation. The black and white inversion sequence is not only an awesome sequence, but is shows a stunningly demonstrative example of how heaven and hell and right and wrong can be jumbled up when portrayed at certain slants. The naked, groveling men are both reaching out with carnal desires and also bowing before the greatness of GaIn's diamond clothing, which is valuable and gorgeous in a way that people trapped in Paradise could never comprehend. It's a GOREGOUS mv.
               The song is incredibly powerful, to just top off the amazingness of this release. It's well balanced and beautifully spatialized and gorgeously aching. GaIn can pour emotions into her voice, too many to name all at once in a delicate balance that draws on a fantastic sense inner-power and absolute desperation in the same breath. It's an almost magical vocal quality and the constrained energy of it it caps off every track GaIn's ever been a part of. The evolution of the track is directly complimented by the evolving visuals, making the complete release far superior to either the track or the MV on it's own. It's a beautifully done release and I bow before the queen.

           My first thought? It's not nearly as good as "YOLO"... My second thought wasn't much more flattering: it was the thought that the vocals are being oddly buried in the mix and the annoying circus trill was obnoxiously brought up to drown everything else out. And the mix is weirder than just that, there's so much sub-bass that normal speakers aren't designed to handle, and it's louder than it should be too (almost blew out my speakers the first time  listened to it)... It's great for a club mix or something, but it's odd in a promotional track. This track is pretty good in headphones, nicely spatialized and layered with interest and with each aspect given sufficient room to breathe, but on regular mid-quality speakers it sounds like a mess...
           They managed to mostly correct some of what made me not love Yolo right off the bat by giving us music in the music video without making us wait too long (20 seconds as opposed to over a minute), but New World still didn't quite zing off the screen for me. The styling was cool, but very standard, the choreo was exactly the same, cool for what it was, but pretty much par for the course. The set aesthetics were pretty awesome, but that's not really enough to make the MV amazing. I liked the song's message, it's very nice to see the rap-style aggression focused on something other than controlling a lover. It's also just nice to see songs about clawing your way up in the world, because it's a cause very near and dear to my heart (especially at the moment, considering I've just graduated college and am facing brick-walls of opposition beyond which theoretically lies opportunity). 
          Anyway, I like the song and the MV is visually attractive. It's not revolutionary or anything, and I'm fairly certain that my enjoyment of YOLO is coloring my interpretation of New World, but New World is a fairly solid release all on it's own. It's just not the spectacular one I was hoping for.

          Whitewashing is a chronic problem in Korea and it's very apparent here that over exposure and diluted levels of contrast are being put in play. There's so much opportunity for a release like this to be bright and colorful, and unfortunately it's been over exposed until the brightness overwhelms all other aspects. The first time I watched I I couldn't even pay attention to the track because the visuals were dull and lifeless, even though the girls were super cute. The dull visuals and the slow start to the music tricked my mind into thinking that the song itself was dull. Low saturation levels is one effect that I've always found tiresome and it's unfortunate that it's so popular.
          That aside, this is a fairly solid release. The song is slow but solid, it's well rounded and nice on the ears. It doesn't evolve very far, but it moves well enough. It's a nice jazzy tune that's got enough energy to be interesting but not so much that it demands attention; refreshing in some ways, certainly. The styling, other than the whitewashing is okay. They look very cute indeed, though I'm a bit put off by the fairly voyeuristic slides of sexiness that border on inappropriate observation... like staring at a sleeping girl's ass, or watching the stretch of impressive flexibility at 2:00 from quite that close up... it's jarring and certainly off-putting for me. I'm not against female sexuality, or of women being sexualized by observers, I'd just like it to be represented as something they're aware of... And the direct comment of how they know they get called out on over sexualization was interesting, and it made the rest of the sexiness make sense. And I love how it's literally the 200lbs Gorilla in the room, very clever. Still, it's just not my favorite. I do enjoy the choreography at the end and I love the projector of trying on clothes idea, that one's always fun. Overall, it's fairly good, but there is a lot I would change and I just don't like it terribly much.

            I've been loving all of Boyfriends recent fairy tale releases, from Peter Pan with *Obsession* to *Witch* to this delightful depiction of Alice in Wonderland. This version of the classic tale is awesome because it features Alice as the instigator rather than the passive victim. Our Alice enters the scene draped in red, a monastic mantra playing behind her. Whether this image is supposed to depict her as a monk or as a religious sacrifice, it's an image our Alice rejects by whipping off her cloak and revealing her true self. We see her sitting at a table, a bubbling brew beside her and an unopened book set before her while she decides what she wants her reality to be. We zip into the world of the book, to Alice's imagination, to find that everything is frozen, waiting for a thought to kickstart it. Throughout the MV, we see Alice holding the book in deep consideration, we see her gambling with a leap of creativity, and drawing herself ever-closer to the white rabbit. The world inside the the book, specifically the tea-part scene, only comes to life (outside of choreography) when Alice willingly enters the book herself. She holds the clock, controlling time's progression there (much like how things can only happen in your imagination while you're actively thinking about them). She drags everyone else into the rabbit hole with her and leaves them trying to find their own way out of the world she's built for him... it's all wonderfully topsy-turvy.
         I LOVE the styling. We've got a gorgeous Hatter, and perfect twins to play the Tweedle Two. There's a lovely toy soldier for the Queen's army, too. The 'male alice' that I've seen Hyunseong reported as doesn't make sense to me, but seeing him as a chesspiece does; as a chesspiece he'd be an integral part of the world, a part of Alice. Perhaps he could be analyzed as a depiction of her desires in a significant other, that would explain the blue shirt rather well, certainly better than the idea that he's Gender-bent-Alice (while original-Alice is a present character). And Donghyun as the white rabbit also doesn't make sense to me. I see him as either the Cheshire Cat or the March Hare, both of which traditionally provide counsel and guidance that proves rather less than helpful. I personally would lean towards the March Hare because the original depiction of that character comes from the phrase "Mad as a March hare" which adds a sexual connotation to their interactions that is complimented by the visuals depicted (bunnies have always been thought of as busy little breeders people)... I clearly love the character styling, but even more than that, I adore how the hip-hop and military-chic outfits are worked in with flawless blend of fashionable interplay.
            The choreography is gorgeous, and it suits the track extraordinarily well. The track itself is well rounded and balanced between hip-hop charm and synth-y pop fun. It's catchy as hell. The backing sounds are repetitive and so close to crossing the line towards being annoying rather than a decorative compliment to the vocal melody. Nothing in the instrumental is interesting enough to hold its own without the vocals but the vocal melody evolves well enough to mitigate most of my concern. Other than that, this is a slid release and, as always, Boyfriend's concept and styling is spot on. There's lot of visual throws to the 2010 Tim Burton version which I appreciate, and a lot of individual innovation on the styling system. I like it, as a whole.

          The track is a fun, a quirky upbeat melody with a funky undercurrent of energy. It's not my favorite song from this month, but it's definitely a well rounded track. I love the party-bus idea, and it ties in neatly to the concept of more going on in the mind than in reality (in a good way). I also like how the song renders the more-in-mind concept as a good thing, as compared to the many tracks that imagine relationships or disasters out of self-destructive over-thinking rather than playful imagination. I'm a little bit iffy on the poka-dots... the rest of the styling is lovely, but the poka-dots are just a little much... I don't know. 

           Donghae and Eunhyuk have always been one of my favorite units in Kpop and each of their official sub-group releases has validated that favoritism, and this is no exception. The video is a heartbreaking depiction of the desire to forget all the happy memories of a relationship, because after a cherished relationship ends, those happy memories cause more pain that the unhappy ones. At first the images make it seem like it's just a normal therapy session or something, even the hint with the watch is pretty easy to overlook. The use of color and fracture effects to depict the memories that are slowly being erases is delightful. The camera spins on the choreo stage are wonderful as well, tying into how confused the world is getting as the past gets erased, even while showing the epic styling in full color. The alleyway scenes are doing a similar confusion effect to keep full color prominent, by having the neon lights blurry and falling in and out of focus. The over-exposed greyed-out imagery of the current point in time segments link the black-and-white past to an ever-more-dull present. And the video helpfully provides a final exposure of the nature of the 'therapy' place by showing the card for 'erasure', in case you missed the connection to the lyrics about forgetting at the fact that a creepy back alley is probably not the best place to find a therapist. The presentation of the card lets a viewer go back and watch it again with new eyes in the most delightful way.
          Musically, the release is just as awesome, pulling a powerful drama out of a light backing track and smooth, soft vocals. It's spatialized well and there's just enough of an undertow provided by the repetitive trills of the low synth / piano line to give the track an urgency that plays well off the plaintive vocals. It moves well and evolves nicely and it's over-all a great track.
          The styling's great, and the choreo's fun, though I wouldn't call it revolutionary (it still suits the video and the track perfectly well). The only thing I would consider changing is the very end when Donghae sees Eunhyuk walk out of his last session with no memories of his past relationship. I think it would have been interesting for him to see that and decide not to forget, just to make it a bit more interesting (like have him look at the erasure card in his hand and then dropping it and walking away rather than heading in for his own session). I like how it currently ends though, so it's not a deal breaker, but I do think it would make an interesting statement.

           Right of the bat there's a lot of forbidden fruit imagery, and an underworld affectedness with the smoke, and a sense of taking a journey with the image of a trunk. It was more than enough to pique my interest, particularly when combined with how delightfully well-timed the imagery was in relation to the audio. My first thought was some cliche forbidden fruit and temptation thing, but the specific use of the pomegranate and the disparaging words of the song made me think of Hades and Persephone, particularly the part about how she gets tricked into staying in the Underworld by the bossy and controlling King of Hell (please note that there are a LOT of myths relating to this story and many of them have a genuine romance developing between Hades and his Bride, but some of them are less rosy depictions of the marriage-by-force). 
          Subsequent lack of follow up makes the think that connection is cursory, but it was still a delightful thing to note. The rest of the MV, while not tying itself to Greek Mythology, still has a beautiful string of visuals that correlate the relationship to self-destructive over-indulgence. It's a lovely little plot line that connects well to the lyrics. I LOVE the choreography (enjoy most choreo that involves chairs and props, but this is special). It ties well to the lyrics in that the guys are looking at the next girl over while one is paying them attention: when the guy was in a relationship with the female narrator, he was already looking ahead to the next girl he'd get which caused him to ignore the one he had (grass is always greener style). Additionally, the choreo uses levels well, having the girls at different heights, standing or sitting, on the chairs or off, in an asymmetric arrangement that played with every theory of visual interest in the books. And the whole leg-swish thing is just plain fun (as well as being hella hot).
           I also like how the lyrics acknowledge that the girl in the story is still heartbroken, but that she's not going to let her pitiful ex-temp her back into a relationship that she knows isn't good for her. It's a unique take on a post-break-up song an I highly approve. The lyrics are set nicely within the melody and the track, while being rather simple, is quite pleasant. It has enough harmonic complexity and enough decorative elements to keep it interesting. The vocal melody is catchy and it evolves well enough to more than cover for the backing track. I really like it.

          There is a HELL of a lot going on in this MV and some of it is really not all that slick. There's a ton of good stuff going on, but there's a lot that I'm disappointed in as well. I keep waffling back and forth. Junsu's voice is unquestionably one of the best in Kpop, but it's usage here doesn't make it obvious... And while there's a lot of gorgeous symbolism in the visuals, the way they're strung together without exposition leaves me less than impressed... Arguably, it's a flashy, but poignant critique of the whole nature beneath Idol culture, one I personally find unduly antagonistic. In order to critique it fairly, I think I should start by explaining what on earth is happening in it and to that end, I've moved most of this piece over to the Editorials section. READ HERE.
          However, I do still want to review it, because I'm not terribly pleased with it. Over all, it's a fairly well-done MV with gorgeous imagery. The choreo is weird, ill-suited for its placement in the MV and not terribly well-suited to much in the visual arena nor the sonic landscape of the song. The video would really be much better without it. The song is beautiful and it ties well to the action of the story, but it hardly shows off Junsu's voice... melodically, it doesn't really evolve or mature, harmonically, there's almost nothing in the overdubs outside of a vague choral effect and some reverb, and lyrically, it's pretty empty save for the rap (and even that is mostly poignant statements with generalizations)... there's really not much in it. It's great BGM for a dramatic story MV though, which makes me wish there was just a titch more explanation in this... it can't stand alone in any sort of completeness without an understanding of Junsu's stance on SM and the Idol music culture (that he's ironically playing right into). It's just not... whole. I keep waffling back and forth, between thinking it's good and thinking it's not. When you look at any singular aspect, the reaction is very polarized. The song is great to listen to, but there's really nothing in it. The MV's symbolism is so beautifully specific, but it's hollow without additional knowledge. The choreography is cool for a stage performance, but it's so out of place and awkward in the MV... The list goes on.
         It could be better, cleaner, more of a stand alone piece, but most of Junsu's fans have been with him for nearly a decade, so they'd have the background knowledge to attempt an interpretation of the MV's message. On it's own, with nothing else considered, it's not very good. But knowing a bit about what issues it speaks to... it's not all that bad honestly, and it gives a poignantly delivered commentary.