Mark

I'm selectively social.

[alesonxxii]

Classy and Comfortable, Yet Affordable

Be it at school, at work, or even at our homes, stress would always get in our way. Everyone must be looking for a pleasant yet affordable place to hang-out and relax. Well, a cafe definitely suits you. 

Speaking of cafe, Oppa Cafe is the right choice. Opened last May 26, 2014, Oppa Cafe is a mini, yet elegant cafe which showcases Korean-inspired motifs, like their furniture. Oppa Cafe, simply means 'Elder Brother's Cafe', as oppa in the Korean language suggests. Just like a regular cafe, drinks and other beverages are being served. Plus, desserts and food are off to sell. Customers are accommodated in a traditional Korean table. Everyone would love the ambiance, while scrolling on their gadgets, as this cafe offers free wi-fi connection. Oppa Cafe boasts its specialty, the frappe and the best-selling flavored milk teas. Prices are affordable, yet classy to devour. 

Oppa Cafe would be a great recommendation for a stress-relieving hang-out. Everyone would enjoy their stay in there. With its delightful treats, clean area, free wi-fi, and soothing atmosphere, what else could you ask for more? Choose Oppa Cafe.

[alesonxxii]

A Powerful Mini

Underrated groups would never stop showing what they've got. The 5-member girl group of LOEN Entertainment, Fiestar, is back for their first mini-album since their debut in 2012. Following their huge success from their latest single One More, the girls left the upbeat and retro-feels, coping up with yet another concept. 

The mini-album's title is Black Label, filled with five songs packed up with strong emotions. Having a ballad-dance song, You're Pitiful was the first song in this mini-album. This was also promoted with a music video and a dance practice, functioning as the group's title track. The song is filled with strong emotions, about a girl's ex who turned out to be pitiful after their break-up. It was good to have them almost fair line distribution for this song. Next in line is Hello, a powerful ballad which showcased the girls' singing capabilities. The sub-vocals of the group, Cao Lu, showed her smooth-as-silk voice. She sang the smooth, high-noted lines, which was really different from her past line parts. The third song is Turn Off The Lights, a smooth yet funky track that talks about a girl who tends to be strong, yet cries silently when the lights are turned off. Jei, the group's leader, held the verses with her honey voice. Next is Cold, a slow ballad, about the girls' love for a guy with a cold personality. Hyemi, the lead vocals owned the song's chorus, with her powerful voice, stunning the listeners to listen more. Today is yet another slow ballad having the feeling of being free, unknowingly the persona was just alone. Yezi, the rapper of the group, lent her vocals for this song, singing some parts of the verse wholeheartedly. So Tight serves as the mini-album's end. It is a song about feeling choked in a relationship, needing for a room to breathe. The main vocals, Linzy, garnered everyone's attention with her high notes in the song's bridge. This song also became part of My Lovely Girl's OST. 

Fiestar might be an underrated group, yet hearing this mini-album will make them prove that talent isn't based on popularity.  Two thumbs up for Fiestar! 

[alesonxxii]

Beyond The Spotlight

With Bigbang's MADE World Tour and EXO still preparing for their comeback, the two top boy groups of the Kpop industry provided a great opportunity for the spotlight to shine to some of the underrated, but talented Kpop groups. These groups are promoting their mini-albums, each with a title track and music video. Lights are shining, yet to whom? 

Nu'est, a 5-member boy group from Pledis Entertainment, made a comeback with their fourth mini-album entitled, Q is and a title track, Overcome. All of the members participated in making this mini-album a success. The album was produced by the group's leader and main vocals, Baekho, while Minhyun (lead vocals), JR (vocals), Ren (vocals), and Aron (main rapper) lent their pens on writing the songs. The album has My Heaven as the first on its track list. The song showed the smooth vocals of the boys. JR had a high-quality and aggressive rap in here. The song has the hook, "My heaven is you," telling what the song is all about. The second song is Overcome, the title track of the mini-album. Minhyun opens the song and contrasts Baekho's powerful voice. It's all about conquering all obstacles and being together despite all. In Fact is the third song in the track list. This song shows soul melody, having the idea of a girl who has been very conscious about the way she looks. However, the boys told her that, "Everything looks good on you." Next in the track list is By Bickering, a mid-tempo pop tune paired with glossy vocals and jazz-blues over tunes. The boys harmonized well in this song that talks about their struggles, solved by bickering. The last song for this mini-album is One Kis2, a slow ballad with piano riff. This song portrays the success of their love life. 

The idea of having one story-line in a mini-album is great. The five songs held the essence of the album, making it to stand-out among the rest. Overall, it was really a great, personalized album, as the members themselves took part in producing and writing the songs. Plus Nu'est's more powerful and stronger vocals, it would be a doubt for this group to still remain on a dark corner of the Kpop industry. Kudos for Nu'est, you did a great job boys!