Video(s) of the Week #32

I previously wrote a post about Oh My Girl's Seunghee and her marvelous performance of "Cheer Up", but that performance isn't the only good thing to come out of JTBC's singing program "Girl Spirit". Below you'll find some of my favorite performances of the first season (won by Spica's Bohyung) and I'm already looking forward to the next one.




One word: chills. 



Both of them are just fantastic performers.



Two vocal powerhouses and sexy Lovelyz, yes please!



The tears are flowing.



This performance hits me right in the heart.

Monsta X Continues To Impress With "Fighter"

Monsta X's first year wasn't very good, let's be honest. Their debut track and second single, "Trespass" and "Rush" respectively, were both quite forgettable and failed to make me take any kind of interest in the group. My eyes were first opened with the follow-up track for "Hero" which made me interested in their comeback earlier this year with "All In", which I realize in hindsight kind of turned me over completely into a fan of theirs. I enjoyed both the song and the video as well as the mini-album, and the concept they were going for with "The Clan" series. Now they've come back with the second part and a title track called "Fighter", and it's just as good.



It's obvious at first watch that this MV is connected to "All In" as there are a lot of similar themes, with the blue flowers being the main connector. Their function still remains unknown to me but it's becoming clear that the boys are all part of some clan that are in some way doing business with the flowers and their produce. The purpose or motive is however still unclear and I don't know how this video relates to the other in terms of chronology, because a lot of the questions that were raised earlier this year weren't answered here at all. Instead even more questions pop up; like what's the deal with the hospital, what is Wonho building and why are I.M. surrounded by Teddy bears? It's quite tricky to try and tie the two videos together with everything being so vague and confusing, but aesthetically it's more obvious that the two belong.

The production value is once again super high and anyone can tell that it's a video that took a lot of time and effort to put together. It really has a similar aesthetic to "All In" both in terms of camera work, editing as well as the set production. Additionally this video doesn't have any choreography either which I actually think is a good move. The music is better expressed through the plot of the MV and makes it look a bit cooler and a bit edgier in my opinion. Although I don't have a great idea of exactly what's happening I still appreciate that they are trying to think outside the box and not resort to a "typical" K-pop MV. 

Furthermore the song itself is amazing, at least in my opinion, and like with "All In" it sets itself apart from Monsta X's debut sound which wasn't any kind of amazing. This is certainly a rockier kind of pop track which I'm all for, and the balance between the rapping and singing is perfect, also unlike their debut stuff where the vocalists weren't made use of much at all. Kihyun sounds fantastic as always and Shownu is doing his job well too, but the biggest surprise of all is Wonho, who suddenly has as much lines as the other two. He sounds great too, which makes me wonder why they kept giving him so few lines previously. The rappers are, as expected, spot on with their parts and Minhyuk and Hyungwon are, well, very pretty boys. But they all look super hot in this video to be honest, and as ridiculous as it may be I very much enjoy Wonho's crop tops (and piercings for that matter).

The accompanying mini album is definitely worth a listen too, and so much so that I consider it one of my favorites so far this fall. Not only is the title track great but the B-sides are all super catchy too, with my favorites being "Blind" and "Queen". Their previous mini showed huge signs of progress and this one almost even more so. They're starting to find a sound and style of their own as well as producing songs that have great melodies, rapping and singing. As you can tell from my praising I do think I've become a fan of theirs with these last comebacks, maybe not so much that I would say I stan them, but definitely a fan of their music. I only wonder what the next (and possibly final) part of this series will bring, but I hope it's as awesome as this.

MV: 3,8/5
Mini Album: 3,9/5

What I've Missed - August & September

Hi guys...long time no see, right? University life has been off to an incredibly busy start since in Sweden we don't have a orientation week, we have several orientation weeks. I've been settling into my new home, getting into a good studying rhythm and attended countless parties and other activities surrounding school and my new classmates. Everything has been fantastic and I'm loving every minute, so much that I've had to put this blog aside for the month of September. Now I intend to make a comeback, I guess, but I don't think I will be posting as frequently nor will I be making posts that are as long and intricate as the ones you're used to seeing. I want to keep this blog alive somehow because I  love to rant about all things K-pop, but I will have to cut down in some ways because there are only 24 hours in a day.

Anyhow, here's a fun little post about the stuff that was released in September and how I've been enjoying all the comebacks as of recent.

Glorious Photoshoots - September

Jonghyun for GQ. 



Chaeyeon for Céci.



Sunmi for Star1.



Nam Joo Hyuk for Céci.



Nana for Elle.



Ahn So Hee for Marie Claire. 



Suga for Grazia. 



Min Hyo Rin for Cosmopolitan. 



Suzy for Elle.



Lee Jong Suk for W. 



Sulli for High Cut. 



Lee Je Hoon for Céci. 



GFriend for Céci. 



Taeyeon for Beauty+. 



Han Seung Yeon for Harper's Bazaar. 



Mino for Arena Homme+.




Hyuna for Allure. 



Spica for The Celebrity. 



Fei for Arena Homme+. 

Glorious Photoshoots - August

I realize now that this post is kind of late, again, but as you've noticed with my sudden lack of posting I've been incredibly busy now that school has started again. I'm currently attending my first year in university and my schedule has been packed from morning to evening basically every day since it started, so that's the reason for my absence. It will probably continue in that matter for a couple of more weeks, so please be understanding and anticipate my eventual comeback!

Anyhow, starting this post off is two of my favorite Got7 boys, Youngjae and Jinyoung, for Sure.