Just like how I began my last review, I never thought I would be writing about KARA as well. Despite their fame and current status in K-pop land, I never took Kara seriously. I blame DSP Media for that. Kara’s company insisted on highlighting silly dances, especially after the success of the “butt dance” from “Mister”, and signature dances like that became Kara’s trademark.
As for the songs – “Mister,” “Lupin” and “Jumping” were all catchy enough to warrant their success, but those songs were never up to the calibre of say, SNSD’s hits — a group they are (strangely) often compared to.
So have KARA stepped up with this comeback? After hearing the title track, oh YES!
When I first heard the audio for “Step,” it didn’t wow me right away. But after the first listen, the song interested me enough to make me want to hear it a second time. By the time the MV (music video) came out, I was officially hooked on the song!
“Step” is definitely the upgrade Kara needed. Everything from the song’s production, to the music video is top notch. As for the silly ‘signature dance’ department, DSP Media continues to insist on including another butt-shaking, hip gyrating move. It’s not as prominent, but I’m sure the girls will be asked to demonstrate it on variety shows. *shudders*
Anyway, the song. DSP used the usual words to describe it as “catchy” “electronic” “fun” “colourful,” etc. “Step” is all that, but the main reason why the song resonated with me is because of its strong 1980s-pop influence. From the synthesizer hook, the beats, the build-up to the chorus, the bridge… it all reeks of 80’s pop music.
Produced by Sweetune, the song writing duo (Han Jae Ho and Kim Seung Soo) who are responsible for pretty much every KARA hit so far, “Step” is their strongest single to date. It sounds different, and most importantly, fresh!
The girls have a lot to be cheerful about with this hit
The music video plays on the 80’s vibe with its neon colours and bright fashion. And aside from the ’round & round’ butt dance, I really like the rest of the choreography.
Therefore “Step,” the single, gets a strong 4.5 out of 5 from me. It’s a sign second tier companies like DSP Media are now racing ahead to reach the standards set by the giants of K-pop (SM, YG and JYP).
As for ‘Step,’ the album… I really didn’t feel like writing a track-by-track review because none of the other songs on the album really caught my attention. “Rider” feels over-produced, but good enough to warrant its second place in the tracklist. “Strawberry” is expectedly sweet, the chorus of “Follow Me” sounds ABBA-esque, “Date (My Boy)” sounds too J-pop — but is one of the better album tracks, and “I Am… (ING)” is just an acoustic version of this two-year old song. Which by the way is the only ballad on the album (I’m ignoring the bonus track), so you get to hear the girl’s strong vocals.
A good album for Kamilias (KARA’s official fanclub), but not good enough to make me want to listen to it again after this review goes live.
P.S: How thin is Goo Hara? You can see gaps even when she’s wearing a full body suit! 😀
Good Friday — today was the big day. I promptly got up on time, had breakfast and was out of the hotel by 8am. I walked to the jeepney terminal and got into one that would first go to Dau and then to San Fernando. The ride to Dau took just 5 minutes, and from there, I was asked to get into another jeepney going to San Fernando city, the capital of Pampanga province.
The ride to San Fernando took around 30 minutes and cost ₱32 ($0.75/€0.52). As soon as I reached the San Fernando city center…
... the 'rituals' had begunLocals flagellating themselves are referred to as the 'mamalaspas' in Filipino
I didn’t know where the jeepney was headed or where it was going to finally stop, but I didn’t wait to find out. As the jeepney slowed down in traffic, I got down.
Despite the blood, this was an all family affair
WARNING: From here on, you are going to see a lot of photographs of people with bloodied-backs. The act of self-flagellation (usually whipping oneself or beating methodically) is a common practice in many religions. In the following context, the act is seen as means of repenting for one’s sins. You may think they are beating themselves to a bloodied state but in reality, they make small cuts on their backs with a blade. They then use those whips with wooden bristles at the end to whip themselves, quite gently ctually. The bristles get stained by blood and eventually spread out out the blood across their backs. But rarely is one profusely bleeding because of the cuts.
Everybody was headed towards the Metropolitan Cathedral of San FernandoThey all convene in front of the church. (By the way, it was scorching hot today!)The flagellants stop in front of the cross, kneel before it or lay flat on the groundThe act of flagellation here is out of devout worship, or so they claimDespite the bloody appearance, they really don't hit themselves that hard
They are even lightly kicked
As one group of devotees would leave, more would come through the gatesOften led by cross-bearers, called 'mamusan krus'I can't imagine how their bare backs must have felt in this heat
While devout Catholics bled outside, the more restraint were praying inside
This was a photography opportunity like no otherThere were many others just like me who came to capture today's peculiar festivities (Shot on the 450D*)To us, this was more an 'interesting' event than a religious one
(Shot on 450D*)
Not sure the formation of a heart shape is intentional or not
It was so hot that I was done with the bottle of water I was carrying in a matter of minutes. There were hawkers and vendors selling ice cream, water bottles and chilled coconut water. I had one glass of that, and then another. Five minutes later, another glass. Dehydration was a major issue in this heat!
These nuns were a lot less tepid with their act of penance
More and more flagellants just kept coming
Not sure if they were covering their faces more so that people will not know they took part in this actBloody, yes, but none of them were screaming in pain
After spending more than an hour at the cathedral, I felt it was time for me to move on
I drank another glass of coconut water, bought a bottle of water and left the cathedral.
This was the only 'hotel' I could find in the area (Shot on 450D*)It was right next to the cathedral
There were taxis, both jeepneys and pedal taxis to take people to San Pedro Cutud, where the site of the crucifixion re-enactment would be taking place. I decided to take a cycle taxi.Shot the following using my Canon 450D*
Flagellants from barangays (villages) walking towards the Metropolitan Cathedral of San FernandoIt was a short ride that took around 5 minutesThe taxi driver dropped me here and told me I had go through this alley to get to the main road leading to the siteThis led to the site of the passion play
Today's show would feature horses too I presume"One photo? One bottle!"Took around 10 minutes of walking to get to the crucifixion grounds (Shot on 450D*)The crowds weren't huge yet, which was good as I wanted to come early and find a good spot for myself
The crosses for today's crucifixionJesus, or rather the one who playing him today, gets nailed to the cross in the middleI could see a media platform and I wondered if there was a chance for me to get on there with all the equipment I was carrying
I walked up to the media registration counter and told them I was from India and I run my own website. I was wearing my “It’s Football, Not Soccer” t-shirt and pointed to the back to show him my url (which was printed on the back). I also showed him the equipment I was carrying, and that was it — I got the pass to go on the media platform! 🙂
I came hoping to secure a good spot and I end up getting a great spot! (450D*)The view from here was perfect!Flagellants walk in this heat barefoot, and then get whipped? The torture!The locals unfortunately had to watch it from there (Panorama comprised of 8 shots)To say this isn't a major media event here in the Philippines would be an understatementThe GMA news crewThere were photographers representing reputed press agencies like the Associated PressThey all had some serious gear
Not to feel left out, I set up my tripod, raised it to its highest and mounted the 70-200mm lens on my 7D. Trouble is, it was even more scorching hot here! My sunglasses and sunscreen weren’t enough for the burning heat. Many had umbrellas and I felt I should have carried mine as well. I hadn’t experienced such piercing heat since my years in Bahrain.
Some of the flagellants passed out in the heat and had to be taken away by medics in stretchers (450D*)It was so hot, people took refuge under the stage. But not for long. Security came by and asked them to please come out. Probably because the authorities didn't want to be held responsible if the stage collapsed on them (450D*)
All of a sudden…
... a mini-tornado formed and began swirling around in the grounds (450D*)It eventually dispersed but not before taking out a stall's canopy (450D*)Well, that's one way to get a better view 🙂 (450D*)Back on the hilly mound, the flagellants kept on coming (450D*)
I stood on the platform at around 11:30pm, and everyone here was getting restless in the heat, wondering when the ‘show’ would start. A lot of worshipers kept coming, but not ‘Jesus’.
Even this guy in a gown cameThis dude came carrying a white crossUnfortunately, he too passed out due to the heatHe also had to be taken on a stretcherWhere medics were on hand
Finally, just past 1:45pm…
The passion play was about to begin (450D*)
Mother Mary and her entourage made their way
Jesus escorted by Roman soldiers for his impending crucifixionThe actors make their way to the crossesThe (Filipino) Roman soldiers push (Filipino) Jesus aroundJesus gets kicked to the ground
Time for the crucifixionThey lower the crossHey, that's the guy who asked for a bottle in exchange for a photograph from earlier 🙂They deliver a few lines (Few of the actors like the woman playing Mother Mary had mics)They raise two other penitents
Though these guys weren't nailed to the crossFilipino Jesus getting readyChecks the nails
There goes in the first one!And here comes the second oneFilipino Jesus didn't have a mic on him, but you could still hear him scream from where I was standing (and some in the crowd jeered and laughed)"You raise me up...."
In case you had any doubts on whether they actually did nail his palmsIf you thought it was over, no. They nail his feet as well.Though I wondered if they just nailed in between his toes
Some more chantsAfter a few minutes, they take out the nails
The soldiers bring him down
Wonder where they were taking 'Jesus'Oh that's right, the hospital
At this point, few of the locals were cheering as ‘Jesus’ was taken away by medics. One could tell from the laughter that this passion play has become less of a religious event and more, comical of sorts.
Anyway, just when I thought it was all over, the announcement came on to inform us that there are going to be other penitents crucified on the cross. These people volunteer in the hope that, by doing so, they are forgiven for their sins.
They bring down the other two volunteersThe second batch of penitents took their placesHere they go again
There was chatter going around me saying these people who volunteer to be crucified are drunk, so they feel less pain.
Looking at some of their faces, who knows, could be true. Though it defeats the purpose if they volunteered to do this in a bid to quit their alcoholism in the first place!
Now for the third penitentI don't know if that medic is capturing this in the name of science 🙂
The put a lot of effort into this event, with the costumes of that era and all thatExcept for, you know, the occasional airplane flying above (450D*)Shot with the 70-200mm lensIs there something symbolic of spearing one's heart (or torturing one's nipple?)I left the media stage and move to the side of the grounds. Plus, the media platform became 'everybody's platform' after the villagers ran on-stage.
There were more penitents in queue
By the point, the locals had infiltrated the grounds and were inching their way closer to the crosses to try and get a closer look.
The 'Romans' tried to stop themBut eventually...
I bumped into the American girl whom I had met on the journey from Baguio to Sagada two days ago. We chatted for a bit and when we saw the people thronging towards the cross, we both assumed the same thing: “Hey, when in Rome…”
And so we both climbed up to get a closer look
What I really wanted to know is why there isn't any blood and was the nail going all the way through his hand. Gory thoughts, I know, but I was still curious.I tried to get a closer look but there were so many people in my waySo I held out my cell phone and took a snap. This is what I captured. So I guess they really do nail their legs.
Since the hustle and bustle was getting a bit too much, I just used my phone to record this video as they were about to take the nails out of the penitents:
As you can tell from the above video, the locals found all this just as amusing as I did. (Just so you know, I don’t find blood and gore ‘amusing’ — it was this whole act and how the crowds were reacting to it that I found amusing).
(Taken on the Nokia E72)
In fact this event shouldn’t be taken seriously. These crucifixions aren’t even organized by the church. In fact, the Catholic Church condone it and do not endorse them in anyway.
It was a local theatrical troupe in the 1950s that first reenacted the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It became popular enough to become an annual event. Word spread across the Philippines, and later, the world. It became a media event, and an interesting one, for photographers both amateur and professionals alike.
Safe to assume these guys take this act very seriously?Anyway, I had seen enough. It was time for me to leave
Hawkers were making hay while the heat took its toll on me. All I had the past 3 hours were lots of water and ice cream. I couldn't wait to get back to the city and eat something heavy. (Nokia e72)
Looking around you can see why the City of San Fernando continues to host this event. San Pedro Cutud is an impoverished village with little else to offer tourists (same can be said about San Fernando city too). So Good Friday seems to be the only day in their calendar where locals earn good income selling everything from drinks to food. There are thousands who visit San Fernando just for this.
Walking back, the flagellants were still at itThis was at 3:30pm
The road was jammed, and I had to squeeze through people, cycles, and cars just to get aheadDC Comics says Congressman Dong Gonzalves is no hero (You may not get the reference if you don't read comics or recognize that logo)
I managed to get a bicycle taxi further up the road, and I asked him to take me back to the cathedral in San Fernando city.
It was nearing 4pmAs always, there's was a McDs and a Jollibee right next to each other. I chose to go to McDonald's.
The McDonald’s was full of tourists who had just come back from San Pedro Cutud as well. Freshened up, sat in the air conditioning and enjoyed my meal. After the meal, I sat a few minutes longer and reviewed my photographs. Needless to say, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I came, I saw, I captured.
But the day wasn’t over yet. Though many were making the long journey back to Manila, I stayed back in San Fernando because I had only planned on leaving after I photographed the procession at night.
I walked back to the cathedral
There were many floats (or 'carrozas') that were going to be used in tonight's processionThe man whom this city is named after
I just stood outside, hoping the sun would set early and the procession would start some time soon. It was just 5pm, so I knew I had quite a bit of waiting to do.
Boy: "Hey!" (grabs sister)... "take photo mister" ~ Me: *clicks* ~ Boy: "Oh, he's actually taking a photo?" (shy)After that, these guys asked for photos. I had to click. And no, I'm not going to put them *all* up. Don't know why they ask for photographs but never ask for a copy. Probably think I'm a newspaper photographer.I noticed these 'No to RH bill' banners on many of the churches here and I had to ask my friend Aimee what the bill was. Turns out it is a Reproductive Health Bill proposed by the Government to control population growth by encouraging the use of contraceptives -- but the church is against it! It was just one of many things I would later learn about the thin line separating church and state in Philippines.I thought of sitting inside the cathedral for some timeBut instead, I went for a strollThe carrozas were lining up
He's highThere were more carrozas brought in from other areas
Looks like the procession was about to begin
Really, they made 13 shitty sequels?
I walked back to the cathedral and saw people walking as the procession had begun. I asked a police officer as to where they were headed and he told me they would be going around and coming back to the cathedral by sunset. I only wanted to take photos of the procession once it had gotten dark, so I sat inside the cathedral until the sun had completely set.
Sitting inside the cathedral under the fans made me feel sleepy. I guess all that scorching heat and the early morning wake up was getting to me.
The dome
After half an hour, I looked outside and by 6:30pm, the sun had set. So I left the cathedral.
There's a lot of grilled chicken on the streets of PhilippinesI waited for the procession to make its way down this road
The carrozas were lit up, which made them even more beautiful
Definitely more than a thousand people were taking part in this procession
I took one final parting shot as the procession group continued its way into the city
And with that, I was done! Phew, what a day!
I walked by myself down the quiet road and tried to catch a jeepney going to Angeles City.
It was 7:15pm when I clicked this photo
I had to wait around 15 minutes until I finally managed to get a jeepney going to Angeles City.
It took nearly half and hour with all the stops until I finally got to Angeles City
But the driver eventually asked me, where exactly I wanted to go because he was nearing his final stop.
I didn't quite recognize any of the surroundings, so I told the driver I needed to go near SM Clark. He said, for that I'd have to hop onto another jeepney passing by Balibago
Which is what I did. Then when I got asked to get down from the second jeepney, I saw SM Clark, but it was still a bit far. So I hopped into another jeepney going up Perimeter Road and got down at the jeepney terminal.
Three jeepneys and ₱50 later, I was back in familiar territory. Even though I wanted to go back to my room and take a bath, I decided to have dinner now itself since I was out anyway. Plus, I was desperately craving some chilled beer!
Despite being Good Friday, some of the nightclubs and casinos were open. I took a stroll down Walking Street and finally ended up sitting at club called Angel Witch, only because it sounded badass and they were playing rock music. They had a few girls dancing to Bon jovi’s “It’s My Life,” but 15 minutes later and a beer down, I was bored and soon left.
I stopped by the Turkish restaurant on the way back, packed a meal and walked back to my room. I got out of my blood-stained clothes (you can’t help it, droplets of blood will splatter on you if you are close to the flagellants) and enjoyed a good, clean shower.
As I copied my photos over to my back-up hard drive, I couldn’t be more happier with my coverage of this, erm, interesting event. The above are just 220 of the 793 photos(yup!) I shot using my three devices: my Canon 7D (mostly), the Canon 450D* and my cellphone.
With the main event of this trip in the bag, I felt this visit to Philippines was well worth my money and time. And to think, I still had more than a week left and a lot more to see in this country!
*Regarding the photos taken using the Canon 450D. I mounted my wide angle lens on the 450D so that I could use the other lenses on my 7D. But I noticed just about every image I shot on the 450 was very blue. I only realized this after I had taken a few shots and I could figure out why the photos came out that way. The tungsten filter wasn’t enable and the white balance was et to auto. I couldn’t afford to restore the camera to factory setting in case it formatted the SD card in the process.
I did try and correct the blueish hue in every image, but only some I could turn from this:
I never thought I would be writing about this group. I mean, U-KISS/유키스! The boy band whose first two hits were catchy, but extremely repetitive hook songs like “Man Man Ha Ni” and “Bingeul Bingeul“. They followed it up with “Shut Up,” which featured one of the lamest dance choreography I’ve seen in K-pop. U-KISS, a band that’s has been poked fun at so many times for being “gay“. That U-KISS!
But you know what, I’m reviewing their music, not the members. And the music in their new album “Neverland” (their second full album)… well, call me impressed!
Don't know who is who... but I really don't care
U-KISS has seen line-up changes around three times since inception, with the most recent one being in February this year when members Alexander and Kibum were kicked outreplaced by AJ and Hoon. NH Media, U-KISS’s corporate overlords, didn’t waste anytime in pushing the new line-up in front of fans with the release of “0330” a month later. The ‘updated’ U-KISS seemed to showcase a different direction the boys would be heading. No more formulaic, repetitive monotone songs with lazy choreography, or so it seems.
So does the new album 'NEVERLAND' keep the new direction on the right path?
In January, when NH Media announced that U-KISS were going to prepare for an American debut, I scoffed at the thought. No way was a Korean boy band, least of all U-KISS, going to succeed with their style and their kind of music!
But listening to the songs on ‘Neverland,’ you know NH Media were serious about their US ambitions (though I hope they have come to their senses now). Many of the songs don’t sound like your average K-pop record. Here’s a track-by-track review:
01. “Intro” – 0:58 of nothing special
02. “Neverland” – The title track and main single:
If there’s a finer example of how one incorporates pure dance music and boy band pop, “Neverland” is it! It’s a fantastic single with great choreography, even though it is a bit heavy on the auto tune. (I’m not going to comment on the fashion or the wiping-fingers-down-face act, because it’s getting stale). Surely they must be some DJ out there already working on a remix of this song for the clubs!
The true test of how good this song is for U-KISS is when they perform it live. The video may not be anything special but I couldn’t help but hit replay as soon as the MV ended. It’s definitely one of my top K-pop songs of the year! – 5/5
03. “Baby Don’t Cry” – Upbeat, synthesized chorus driven pop bliss! Makes me wonder if this was produced by a foreign producer. Edit: Produced by Ryan Jhun, who produced most of the album. – 4/5
04. “Someday” – Listening to this, I couldn’t help but assume this is a kind of song one would find on a Westlife album! 🙂 Produced by Denzil Remedios, I wonder if this was one of the songs considered for U-KISS’s English debut. – 4/5
05. “Take Me Away” – The first ballad on the album and again, not the usual K-pop fare. Just when you think the instruments would keep piling on from the second verse onwards, they don’t. Instead, it’s just the boys and their vocals that carry this song all through the end. A very good track, and I hope they get a chance to sing it live on the music shows. – 4/5
06. “On The Floor” – With a track title like that, it’s fairly obvious what to expect. This one is from the K-pop electronic dance pop music factory. Not bad, but nothing noteworthy. If you listen to K-pop regularly, you have heard this kind of music before. – 3/5
07. “A Friend’s Love” (친구의 사랑) – Officially in familiar K-pop territory now. The first ‘standard’ ballad on the album, but still a very a listenable track. KissMe*s are surely going to sing along to this chorus! – 3.5/5
08. “April Story” (4월 이야기) – When the song first starts, I wondered if they dropped another artist’s song in here by mistake! But no, the woman voice belongs to Brave Girls’ Eun Young and this ballad is a duet with Shin Soohyun. Standard OST fare, but a well sung track none the less. – 3.5/5
09. “Obsession” – Half the song’s lyrics are “You are my obsession…” and “Love equals obsession, obsession equals love” 😀 Erm, no thanks. I don’t think I’ll be listening to this song often. – 2/5
11. “Tell Me Y” – While MBLAQ sang “Give it to my Yyyyy….” (which made little sense), U-KISS presents a brighter, piano-tinged, rap-filled track. Simple and one of the better album fillers. – 3/5
12. “We’ll Meet Again/다시 만나요” (U-KISS with Paran) – The first two & half minutes of the track are the boys of U-KISS and their labelmates (another boy band, but one that unfortunately never saw much success) Paran chattering and having fun. But as the laughter gives way, the final song on the album is an epic ballad, and a good one at that. A fitting end to the album. – 3.5/5
13. “Someday” (Instrumental)
—-
Until last year, U-KISS and B2ST to me were in the same lower tier of K-pop boybands. Silly, lyrically bland songs with lame choreography, and always inferior compared to the likes of SHINee, BIG BANG and DBSK. Yes, I know the latter are from two of the most famous entertainment companies, but SM and YG didn’t get to where they are today if they hadn’t gotten their formula right. They knew where to invest their money to produce the best, in every regard — from appearance to the music, they know quality!
That is not to say the smaller entertainment companies haven’t stepped up their game. B2ST matured in 2011 and won me over with “Fiction“. And now, U-KISS has made me take them seriously as well. NH Media seems to have figured out the ‘right formula’ with this album and given the boys the best they have released to date.
‘Neverland’ is easily one of the best K-pop studio albums an idol group has put out in 2011. Far better than the last album I reviewed — and that came from SM Entertainment. U-KISS’s ‘Neverland’ is an album that manages to draw the listener in from the start and you won’t find yourself skipping past many of the songs. A testament to how well paced the album is with good songs.
So in conclusion, hats off to U-KISS (with its current line-up)! You guys (along with B2ST) have move up several notches in the Korean boy band world and can proudly claim to be one of the best the Hallyu wave has to offer today. I won’t call myself a KissMe because being an adult male, that would be, erm, gayawkward — but consider this: I will buy ‘Neverland’ legally and (if I ever get the chance) I would be excited to see you guys perform live in concert!
