Generally, new content is posted every two to ten days.
___________________ RATING GUIDE:
10 - Perfect; the best (impossible to earn)
9 - Extremely good; amazing
8 - Good; solid
7 - Above average
6 - Slightly above average
5 - Average
4 - Slightly below average
3 - Below average
2 - Poor; weak
1 - Extremely poor; mediocre
0 - Horrendous; the worst (impossible to earn)
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For an entire list of all posts/reviews, refer to my archive page.
Feel free to also send in review requests, feedback, or questions—both personal and K-Pop questions are accepted. (This is also the best way to contact me as I do not check personal messages received on Tumblr.)
___________________
Thank you for exploring and reading this blog! I greatly appreciate it.
Personal
Message: First, I
do apologize to readers for not releasing more reviews during this break. I
have been busy subtitling videos of, perfectly timed, Fiestar (though I still
need to work on finishing “FNC Picnic At Night”), and am just starting to
tackle my break homework. Nevertheless, today I have three album reviews lined
up, and once those are done, I will conclude this spring break’s review
marathon. For the following days after, the blog will resume its usual rate for
the remainder of March. On that note, as said before, any review that is not of
a song can overall be considered a “bonus review.” Specifically, these album
reviews will not focus on deeper analyses but instead will be focused on
shorter readings: readings that are moreover “sales-based” than
“discussion-based.” In other words, my focus with album reviews will not be so
much on analysis of songs; there is no need to dive in depth with individual songs
in an album as those are what standard song reviews are for. Instead, I will
focus moreover on a general analysis of songs and moreover focus on the overarching
view: whether an album in whole is well composed and, ultimately, if worth a
purchase—real or figurative.
Now that said, to clarify, I am not sponsored
with this current review; the following words of whether I believe “A Delicate
Sense” is worth buying or not is neither due to Fiestar or LOEN Entertainment
influencing me directly. (After all, it would be a horrible financial decision
to entrust me, a very mediocre writer and reviewer, with the responsibility of positively
advertising an album.) The following review will be my genuine thoughts
regarding the album. At most, the only bias at play is how I am indeed a huge
fan of Fiestar, but even then, I have confidence that I will remain neutral in
analysis (as proven in MAMAMOO’s review).
And on the topic of Fiestar, before
looking at their recent album, it appears that Fiestar has found their “iconic”
musical style and concept—or at least gauging their patterns. Fiestar, in a
musical context, did begin moreover with an upbeat, standard pop style, but
“You’re Pitiful”—a song that I still absolutely love—marks a significant
transition for the group. From there, a more melancholy style took hold, and
expectedly, their music style shifted from joyful to more solemn. Whether the
ladies will one day return to, for example the exciting style of “One More,” is
unknown, but either way I find both concepts suitable to Fiestar, and biasedly
I do appreciate their current style. Reason being that their current concept
does tend to accommodate my personal taste in music. Due to a more mature,
saddening concept, on a musical level that translates into songs that tend to,
typically, be more vocally orientated all while still maintaining a mid-tempo.
Essentially, as I like to comically
say, I like “pop ballads”; I enjoy songs that have ballad-like vocals, instrumental,
and structural progression, but with the excitement and intensity as if an
upbeat pop song. Fiestar’s “You’re Pitiful” is a prime example of that. Other
examples, and of which are songs I also consider as my top favorites, would be
SPICA’s “Tonight” and to recently add, MAMAMOO’s “You’re the Best.” As noted,
all three are quite similar songs if we strip them of their individuality and
focus moreover on format: all three are vocally oriented songs, as noted by
vocal beltings and changes in vocal intensity; all three follow a ballad
progression—progression that is based on accumulation and building off of prior
sections; and all three are not overly upbeat, as noted by the instrumentals
being moreover mellow than ecstatic. (In terms of the best song I have yet to
hear, however, SPICA’s “Ghost” holds that.) Relating this all back to Fiestar,
the point is the ladies seem to be sticking with this style of music. Their
prior comeback and album of “Black Label” was the start, but now “A Delicate
Sense” is continuing the trend, and as said, I would argue that it is for the
better.
Finally focusing on the mini-album
itself, as hinted before in prior reviews, I did speculate that this would be
the best (mini) album I have ever heard based on the preview. Miraculously,
that holds true: “A Delicate Sense” is truly the best album I have ever heard.
I do not even have to be paid to say that. It really is an amazing album as the
review will, hopefully, explain. Now even so, it is not a flawless album; “A
Delicate Sense” is far from possessing top-tier songs. In fact, to confess, on
an individual level, the songs in this album are far from being exceptionally
captivating. But, for an entire album, this is the first where I can “approve”
every song. Even the prior album that held as a personal best—Rainbow’s
“Prism”—had one song that I found dismissible, but with Fiestar’s “A Delicate
Sense,” every song is enjoyable. Again, the degree of said “enjoyable” is not
as strong as it could be, but nevertheless, all songs lean towards a positive
side. When it comes to album reviews, the prior is what I look for: an overall
balanced album where every song is appealing—even if not a significantly strong
appeal.
So, with “A Delicate Sense,” as already
revealed the album does not go “Back and Forth” between good or bad; the song
remains consistent in quality akin to how a “Mirror” will always portray an
exact reflection. Nevertheless, as mentioned, the album is not flawless as it
does leave listeners feeling like “Mr. Black”/“Ms. Black”: feeling a “Thirst”
for stronger individual songs in the album as, no matter how much “Drinking
Your Lips” is done—how much listening occurs— there is more to desire.
Analysis:
The prior paragraph makes absolutely
no sense whatsoever, so I promise to not make the conclusion like that. But,
for the purpose of keeping album reviews’ tradition, I will do it for the
introduction. On a serious tone, my thoughts have drastically changed after
truly analyzing the songs: this album is not entirely flawless in the sense of
every song being “approved” (“approved” as in I would certainly enjoy listening
to it). One song, unfortunately, is no longer considered appealing.
Nevertheless, this album still comes close to having a flawless Approval Rate
and overall, it can still be deemed a rather balanced album in terms of both quality
and style.
Focusing directly on “Drinking Your
Lips,” the song that fails to gain my approval, admittedly I did at first
consider it decent. Especially with the exceptionally smooth, melodic and lower
noted verses and rap, and furthermore, solid vocals for those sections, “Drinking
Your Lips” appeared quite satisfying. However, after listening more intently
and frequently, two significant issues became noticeable: the choruses and
post-choruses are chaotic. For example, the vocal distortion effects that occur
throughout the post-choruses are far from being musically alluring. In
addition, it serves minimal purpose in the song’s overall style and tone. At
most, it prevents an emptier sounding post-chorus, but even then, to expend an
entire post-chorus’ quality for the purpose of preventing staleness is a questionable
trade. As for the choruses, the vocals are problematic. Unstable singing
occurs; the vocals sound incredibly feeble and lacking firmness in melody and
sound. Now though one could argue that the choruses’ vocals are as is to offer “Drinking
Your Lips” its unique style, but that does not compensate for the sound itself:
the choruses sound hollow. Overall, while this song will cost the mini-album a
flawless Approval Rate with its weaker choruses and post-choruses, “Drinking
Your Lips” should still be respected for its brilliantly delivered verses and
rap. If not for those two sections, then very much “A Delicate Sense” would be
a “perfect” album in the sense of every song being enjoyable.
Continuing in a chronological order,
“Mirror” will be the next song inspected—though admittedly I will briefly skim
over it. A future review will deconstruct the song in depth, but for this
current review, I will state that it absolutely is appealing. However, in
comparison to “You’re Pitiful,” I do consider this song a downgrade. To perhaps
best summarize “Mirror,” it is a safely played song; the song is “safe” in the
sense of taking minimal risks. The song fails to include distinctive aspects
such as, for examples: intensive vocals in general (such as with note holds,
two-part singing, vocal beltings, etc.); sections that deviate from traditional
formats; and so forth. Especially in juxtaposition to, as mentioned, “You’re
Pitiful,” “Mirror” is very bland. With the ladies’ prior comeback, the group
did not hold back with testing their vocals’ limits or with attempting unique
section formats—an example being the two-part singing at the final chorus.
Sadly in “Mirror,” many—if not every—aspect to it is arguably quite standard.
Be it the vocals, how the song progresses, the instrumental, or even the raps, “Mirror”
simply sticks with the methods and styles that are “normal.” Without digressing
even further, however, all that said “Mirror” is still an approved song. It may
be not be prominent, but it does at the least follow forms that have been known
to traditionally work. The vocals are still decent and likewise the sections.
The issue, though, is the degree of such; “Mirror” is not a captivating song,
but it is also neither a bad song. More will be discussed in the actual review
itself.
Next up is “Mr. Black.” This song
definitely holds well on an individually level. From Yezi’s goose bump-inducing
rap to the very soothing and seducing instrumental, many aspects to “Mr. Black”
hold as charming. The vocals for example retain a tuneful, slower pacing that
perfectly suits the instrumental and tone. Sections are also coordinated with
one another; each one builds off the prior section to keep a strong flow active. And, of course, on an individual level every
section in “Mr. Black” is solid. Overall, “Mr. Black” is an excellent example and
proof of how linearity is not inherently bad in songs—a style that I do
oftentimes use as a point of criticism in many songs. “Mr. Black” is quite
straightforward in its section progression, its vocal progression, its
instrumental progression, and so forth, but because of how well each category
complements the other and how the overarching rhythmic flow to the song is used
to augment the mentioned aspects, “Mr. Black” flourishes. As showcased here, it
is about the delivery of linearity; in reviews that do critique songs for being
too “stale” and “linear,” it is not because of the styles in of themselves, but
rather, how the styles are conducted. In this song’s case, excellent delivery
exists and thus, the simple style works in a very positive manner, even if it
does fall in the category of “linear.”
Finally discussing the song that I
biasedly have been awaiting for, “Thirst” will be examined. As is the trend in
every album release, I will offer “the usual” comment: “this should’ve been the
title track.” It truly should be, however. “Thirst” may not suit as the title
due to its ballad genre, but if quality is the sole factor, this song is by far
the strongest song in “A Delicate Sense”—in fact, it is the strongest song in
general by the group. This ballad is simply beautiful in all of the categories:
lyrics, vocals, sections, instrumental, line distribution—this song aces all of
them. In fact, if this were to be reviewed in a standard song review, SPICA’s
“Ghost” ‘s position as the highest rated song on the blog might indeed
become heavily contested. To slightly brag about Fiestar and the reasons for
this very high praise, the vocals for one are exceptionally potent. From
climactic note holds to calm yet melodic vocals in the verses to gentler rapping
to precisely controlled, sharp vocals at the choruses, Fiestar’s top vocal
capabilities are highlighted in “Thirst.” And emphasis: Fiestar’s top vocal
capabilities—not Hyemi’s or Linzy’s, but also Yezi, Cao Lu, and Jei. Every
member sings well and, if I am accurate with identifying their singing voices,
the line distribution is, at worst, above average. (In fact, I am so moved by
this song I may just subtitle it and “member-code” it to check for the line
distribution.) In the end, “Thirst” is not just a pleasure to listen it: it is
an honor to listen to. “Thirst” is definitely the best song in the album, and
it definitely is the best song by Fiestar as of yet. Absolutely extraordinary.
Looking at the last song, “Back and
Forth,” unfortunately the hype will drop in comparison to “Thirst”—but that is
expected as “Thirst” is above and beyond. Nevertheless, “Back and Forth” is
still a decent song. It greatly benefits from allowing Yezi’s rapping to shine in
full force, and its instrumental does provide a charming flow. Additionally,
the vocals do remain diverse, as noted by the contrast of calmer vocals at the
chorus to the powerful vocals at the pre-choruses. Essentially, “Back and Forth”
is more dynamic version of “Mr. Black”; both songs are skin in progression and
style, but “Back and Forth” is more flexible with showcasing more singing
styles, a more prominent rap, a slightly more upbeat yet equally infatuating
instrumental, and so forth. As such, like “Mr. Black,” this song holds well but
it does come with the bonus of not having as many “linear” formats—though to
reiterate, “Mr. Black” perfectly executes a linear style.
With all the songs covered, it is
now time for the verdict: Is “A Delicate Sense” the best (mini) album I have
yet to hear? Is it worth purchasing or at least musically respecting?
Confidently said, even after striking down “Drinking Your Lips,” I do claim
that this album is worth purchasing and musically respecting, and that it does
hold as the best mini-album I have heard. Nonetheless, for reminders, this is
not a flawless album; every song minus perhaps “Thirst” and “Back and Forth” do
wane in individual quality. But, even then, for an entire album in whole, a
vast majority of the songs is pleasing—one being extremely pleasing, in fact. One
final aspect to consider, however, is a positive and negative attribute to the
album: that this album is overall in the genre of “pop ballad”—the term I
created hours ago in the Personal Message. Therefore, for those personally
favoring this style of music, Fiestar’s “A Delicate Sense” is perfect. However,
in the case that one does personally dislike this music style and prefers, for
example, Fiestar’s more upbeat style of songs such as “One More,” then this
album may be laborious to listen to as every song in it is indeed “pop ballad”
(minus “Thirst” as it is a full ballad). Of course, though, this is a binary
being applied, and as I have discussed in a sociological context in many
reviews, binaries do not exist. Thus, this album is not a pure “like or dislike”
situation, but it is worth noting the relatively similar styles among all of
the songs.
All in all, “A Delicate Sense” is
Fiestar’s best album yet, and I do hold it as a personal top. Individual
quality does languish in the album, but considering that there are no utterly
repulsive songs and that even the most disliked song (“Drinking Your Lips”) is
still tolerable, it is worth claiming that this is the best album I have ever
heard so far. Every song minus perhaps one is decent. But, even then,
improvement is still desired. Perhaps in the next comeback Fiestar will add the
missing component: that not only is every song seducing, but that every song on
an individually level would hold strongly. That would be a challenge, but
Fiestar appears to be on that route.
As always, thank you for reading.
Whether in full or skimmed, I greatly appreciate any time given for the blog.
In terms of upcoming reviews, two more album reviews are ready: Rainbow’s “Prism”
and MAMAMOO’s “Melting.” Afterwards, male artists will receive attention as the
following two reviews are on female groups and thus, females will have had
enough exposure for this month. For other news, I still do have much homework
to attend to, and on top of that, to finish subtitling “FNC Picnic At Night”
(and now to subtitle and member-code “Thirst” unless if someone has already
done so). As a result, after the album reviews March will finish up slowly, but
by then I would have by far exceed my personal goal for the month. Look forward
to Rainbow’s “Prism” and MAMAMOO’s “Melting,” and be thankful for me not ending
this review with cringing puns.