Yay! One of my favorite musicians, Alexz Johnson, just released a new digital album. This album is the second album released that contains completed demos from when she was signed onto major music labels earlier in her career. If anyone is interested, please check it out! Enjoy~
The Basement Recordings
The Basement Recordings II
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Also, I've decided to add on to my first two unboxing posts. I realize I didn't do Sixth Sense Repackaged and Toxic [Limited Edition] much justice, so I'll try to rectify that. Oops. So if y'all are looking for more in depth photos for those albums, there will be a few posted up soon...sort of. Yeah. Yay!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Unboxing #4 - Ga-In's step 2/4
Hello, and happy Sunday! (Or it was when I started this post...)
Oops. I meant for this post to be out a little sooner than now, but eh. Good enough. Today, as I stated in an earlier post, I will be doing a photo unveiling of Ga-In's first solo album, step 2/4! An impressive solo debut, Ga-In takes a tango-esque approach to her six track mini-album. Along with the CD, step 2/4 also includes the music video of her title track, "돌이킬 수 없는, (Irreversible)". I love how different this collection of songs sounds in comparison to what's popular in Korean music now.
The album wasn't packaged in the most careful of ways when the seller shipped it, so you may notice that my album has a few funky corners. Breaks my heart, that it does. D: But at least everything else is okay.
I loved the passionate/sensual concept for this album, especially since Ga-In pulls it off so well! She's also a pretty decent actress, if her 11 minute music video is anything to go by. The music video is incredibly long, but it didn't drag and was well executed. Won't spoil it; you'll have to watch it to get the full effect. Also included in the DVD is a making of the video, outtakes, uncut scenes, and such. All in all, I think it totals to about 50 minutes worth of footage. Pretty incredible. The music video uses "Irreversible" (obviously) and her sixth track, "진실, (Truth)" as the themes. What's interesting is that the instrumentals of "Truth" are almost exactly like "Irreversible". It's kind of eerie how two songs with similar arrangements and all that could produce two songs that are so different. The songs are sort of like twins. Very similar, but each their own individual entity. Hm. Anyways, I think the only thing I'm not a fan of is the packaging of the album. And I don't mean the shipping packaging. The foamy bits that hold the discs in place are quite tall, so it's difficult to take out the discs without bending them. D: Also, I wish the photo booklet wasn't attached to the cover. The booklet pages are wonderfully high quality: large, thick paper and fantastically chosen still shots of the music video. However, because the pages are so large and thick, (please, no yo' mama jokes, thanks) they are quite heavy. The adhesive holding the booklet to the front cover is already coming off. Also, the pages are hard to flip through, attached the way it is, especially if you want to keep the booklet nice and crisp. Would have made it easier to look through if the booklet could be taken out, but it's all good. Anyways, purchase step 2/4 quickly if you can! It's getting harder and harder to find it at a reasonable price. As I've mentioned before in a previous post, I bought my at Amazon.com, but you are able to purchase it at other online retailers such as KpopHeaven, etc. So don't be shy! ~_^
As I've said before, I think the next unboxing post I'll be doing is Alexz Johnson's Skipping Stone, which should be arriving shortly. Also, her second digital album, The Basement Recordings II, is coming out on the 30th of April, so if you can, please support her and her music!
And now, I'm going to get dinner to appease my stomach (read: THE BEAST).
Oops. I meant for this post to be out a little sooner than now, but eh. Good enough. Today, as I stated in an earlier post, I will be doing a photo unveiling of Ga-In's first solo album, step 2/4! An impressive solo debut, Ga-In takes a tango-esque approach to her six track mini-album. Along with the CD, step 2/4 also includes the music video of her title track, "돌이킬 수 없는, (Irreversible)". I love how different this collection of songs sounds in comparison to what's popular in Korean music now.
The album wasn't packaged in the most careful of ways when the seller shipped it, so you may notice that my album has a few funky corners. Breaks my heart, that it does. D: But at least everything else is okay.
 |
| The flimsy packaging. Boo. |
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| Am I the only one who keeps those little stickers they have on shrinkwrapped items? |
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| The lovely cover! The cover is matte and the title and her name are in glossy print. |
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| The back cover and track list. Track list for the DVD not written. |
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| Side view. I like how the album is a cream color. |
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| The contents! |
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| Closer look at the discs. The brown one with "Hate" written on it is the DVD. The cream one with "Love" written on it is the music CD. |
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| The photo booklet is attached the to front cover. Photos contain still shots of the music video with the song lyrics. |
I loved the passionate/sensual concept for this album, especially since Ga-In pulls it off so well! She's also a pretty decent actress, if her 11 minute music video is anything to go by. The music video is incredibly long, but it didn't drag and was well executed. Won't spoil it; you'll have to watch it to get the full effect. Also included in the DVD is a making of the video, outtakes, uncut scenes, and such. All in all, I think it totals to about 50 minutes worth of footage. Pretty incredible. The music video uses "Irreversible" (obviously) and her sixth track, "진실, (Truth)" as the themes. What's interesting is that the instrumentals of "Truth" are almost exactly like "Irreversible". It's kind of eerie how two songs with similar arrangements and all that could produce two songs that are so different. The songs are sort of like twins. Very similar, but each their own individual entity. Hm. Anyways, I think the only thing I'm not a fan of is the packaging of the album. And I don't mean the shipping packaging. The foamy bits that hold the discs in place are quite tall, so it's difficult to take out the discs without bending them. D: Also, I wish the photo booklet wasn't attached to the cover. The booklet pages are wonderfully high quality: large, thick paper and fantastically chosen still shots of the music video. However, because the pages are so large and thick, (please, no yo' mama jokes, thanks) they are quite heavy. The adhesive holding the booklet to the front cover is already coming off. Also, the pages are hard to flip through, attached the way it is, especially if you want to keep the booklet nice and crisp. Would have made it easier to look through if the booklet could be taken out, but it's all good. Anyways, purchase step 2/4 quickly if you can! It's getting harder and harder to find it at a reasonable price. As I've mentioned before in a previous post, I bought my at Amazon.com, but you are able to purchase it at other online retailers such as KpopHeaven, etc. So don't be shy! ~_^
As I've said before, I think the next unboxing post I'll be doing is Alexz Johnson's Skipping Stone, which should be arriving shortly. Also, her second digital album, The Basement Recordings II, is coming out on the 30th of April, so if you can, please support her and her music!
And now, I'm going to get dinner to appease my stomach (read: THE BEAST).
Thursday, April 12, 2012
PICTURES PICTURES WHERE ART THOU.
WHY ARE ALL MY PHOTOS GONE.
Sorry to those who want to view the pictures of the albums they're interested in. I'll work on getting those up soon! Blogger is really quite temperamental.
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Edit 1: Re-uploading the pictures on all posts. Finished fixing Unboxing Post #3, which includes Brown Eyed Girls' Leave Ms. Kim and Narsha's NARSHA for all those who are interested.
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Edit 2: Finished re-uploading pictures for Unboxing Post #2, which includes the GazettE's REMEMBER THE URGE -Optical Impression- and TOXIC [Limited Edition]. Enjoy~!
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Edit 3: Finished re-uploading pictures for Unboxing Post #1, which includes Brown Eyed Girls' Sixth Sense Repackaged album. :D
I have no idea why my pictures decided to up and leave like that in the blog. They were absolutely fine in Picasa...I really hope this won't happen again.
Anywho, enough of that. I'll be doing another unboxing post soon, featuring...*drum roll please* Ga-In's solo album, step 2/4! Fetched this baby at a reduced cost. That's always fun. ^__^
Sorry to those who want to view the pictures of the albums they're interested in. I'll work on getting those up soon! Blogger is really quite temperamental.
--
Edit 1: Re-uploading the pictures on all posts. Finished fixing Unboxing Post #3, which includes Brown Eyed Girls' Leave Ms. Kim and Narsha's NARSHA for all those who are interested.
--
Edit 2: Finished re-uploading pictures for Unboxing Post #2, which includes the GazettE's REMEMBER THE URGE -Optical Impression- and TOXIC [Limited Edition]. Enjoy~!
--
Edit 3: Finished re-uploading pictures for Unboxing Post #1, which includes Brown Eyed Girls' Sixth Sense Repackaged album. :D
I have no idea why my pictures decided to up and leave like that in the blog. They were absolutely fine in Picasa...I really hope this won't happen again.
Anywho, enough of that. I'll be doing another unboxing post soon, featuring...*drum roll please* Ga-In's solo album, step 2/4! Fetched this baby at a reduced cost. That's always fun. ^__^
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Unboxing #3 - Brown Eyed Girls' Leave Ms. Kim and Narsha's NARSHA
WHEE! So my order for Narsha's album and Brown Eyed Girls' second album arrived today! Happy happy.
First up is Brown Eyed Girls' second album, titled 떠나라 미스김 (Leave Ms. Kim). Their second album was released in 2007. The songs on the album are primarily slower paced songs with lots of vocal pyrotechnics. The title track for this album is "너에게 속았다, (I Got Fooled By You)". A really powerful song with impressive harmonies and vocals. As per usual. The packaging for this album isn't too fancy, but puts a little spin on a typical jewel case/booklet/CD format. The case isn't a typical clear plastic case...at least not on the outside. Instead of describing it poorly, just take a looksie at the pictures below! Like I've said before, this baby has been out of print for a few years, so I'm really impressed that I could get my hands on it. Yay for quirks of fate.
That concludes this album! Next up is Narsha's mini-album and first solo project...NARSHA. Fantastically quirky music and interesting packaging. Bought it for a friend as a Christmas gift maybe two years ago. Glad to finally get my hands on my own copy! :D
Kinda wish the CD wasn't held in by those flaps. They make the CD kind of hard to remove and put back in. A little tricky, but it just takes a little caution to put the CD back in the flaps without damaging them. I also wish the DVD of the music video was included in this mini-album. The photos are gorgeous. I know that Narsha said that her makeup and costume for EACH live stage ran about $3,000. I wonder how much it cost to make a single copy of her mini-album, considering all the bells and whistles.
Anywho, her title track is "삐리빠빠, (BBI RI BBA BBA)". A quirky, fantastic song. The first time I heard it, I was like...huh. That's different. Interesting. And REALLY different. Then after, I thought, huh. That's AWESOME. This mini-album revealed what we all already know: Narsha. Is. Such. A. Badass. She's in your face and makes no apologies for it. The songs are well executed, all laced with essence of Narsha. I hope that didn't sound too weird. I only wish the mini-album included the DVD for the music video. But oh well.
Narsha has such a lilting, girly, sweet voice in comparison to JeA, the resident diva belt-er of the group and Ga-In, the one with the sexy, husky vocals. I love how all three vocalists of the band have their own unique, distinguishable sound. I think that's what makes them able to approach such a wide variety of genres and what enables them to do it so well. Even Miryo, the fantastically awesome rapper, can hold her own. Check it out.
Overall, I'm quite happy with my purchase. Expected to get Ga-In's step 2/4, but got Leave Ms. Kim in its place. Ecstatic. It's not like this CD is being produced anymore. I do plan on buying step 2/4 though. Maybe if I perform well on my midterms, I will. :P
While you're praying for a copy of Leave Ms. Kim to fall on your lap like it did mine, please know that NARSHA is still in print. You can grab your own copy at KpopHeaven/whatever your preferred retailer is.
Anywho, I'm expecting Alexz Johnson's Skipping Stone EP soon, so I'll probably post an unboxing for that when it arrives. Yay!
First up is Brown Eyed Girls' second album, titled 떠나라 미스김 (Leave Ms. Kim). Their second album was released in 2007. The songs on the album are primarily slower paced songs with lots of vocal pyrotechnics. The title track for this album is "너에게 속았다, (I Got Fooled By You)". A really powerful song with impressive harmonies and vocals. As per usual. The packaging for this album isn't too fancy, but puts a little spin on a typical jewel case/booklet/CD format. The case isn't a typical clear plastic case...at least not on the outside. Instead of describing it poorly, just take a looksie at the pictures below! Like I've said before, this baby has been out of print for a few years, so I'm really impressed that I could get my hands on it. Yay for quirks of fate.
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| All the way from South Korea! |
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| Side view |
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| Lots of bubble wrap. I love it. |
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| Top view |
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| Wasn't kidding about the bubble wrap. That's two long strips. |
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| The lovelies! |
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| NEW and all shrink wrapped. Apparently this version of the album is a second press print or reissue. The first press of the album comes in a plastic case and is twice as long with the booklet on one side and the CD on the other. At least, that's what I've heard. |
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| Shrink wrapped removed. This is what I meant about it not being a typical plastic jewel case. |
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| The back of the album. As good of a shot as I could take. Because
of the material, flash makes it all glare-y and closer shots make it
blurry. |
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| Side view |
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| The booklet is attached to the CD case, so it flips open like a book. Listening to the CD as I'm typing this up! :D |
That concludes this album! Next up is Narsha's mini-album and first solo project...NARSHA. Fantastically quirky music and interesting packaging. Bought it for a friend as a Christmas gift maybe two years ago. Glad to finally get my hands on my own copy! :D
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| Shrink wrap has never looked so good. |
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| I love the slipcover. That's so clever. |
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| The back of the album and track list. Loving the green feathers. |
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| Side view |
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| The slipcover removed. Gorgeous cover art. |
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| A snapshot of the slipcover alone. |
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| You would not believe the odd contorting I had to do to get this picture. |
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| I love how the title NARSHA is raised on the slipcover. Neat. |
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| I love how it folds out. Under the CD is the lyrics sheet (gold) and photo booklet (black outline). Then the credits are printed on the case underneath the photo booklet. |
Kinda wish the CD wasn't held in by those flaps. They make the CD kind of hard to remove and put back in. A little tricky, but it just takes a little caution to put the CD back in the flaps without damaging them. I also wish the DVD of the music video was included in this mini-album. The photos are gorgeous. I know that Narsha said that her makeup and costume for EACH live stage ran about $3,000. I wonder how much it cost to make a single copy of her mini-album, considering all the bells and whistles.
Anywho, her title track is "삐리빠빠, (BBI RI BBA BBA)". A quirky, fantastic song. The first time I heard it, I was like...huh. That's different. Interesting. And REALLY different. Then after, I thought, huh. That's AWESOME. This mini-album revealed what we all already know: Narsha. Is. Such. A. Badass. She's in your face and makes no apologies for it. The songs are well executed, all laced with essence of Narsha. I hope that didn't sound too weird. I only wish the mini-album included the DVD for the music video. But oh well.
Narsha has such a lilting, girly, sweet voice in comparison to JeA, the resident diva belt-er of the group and Ga-In, the one with the sexy, husky vocals. I love how all three vocalists of the band have their own unique, distinguishable sound. I think that's what makes them able to approach such a wide variety of genres and what enables them to do it so well. Even Miryo, the fantastically awesome rapper, can hold her own. Check it out.
Overall, I'm quite happy with my purchase. Expected to get Ga-In's step 2/4, but got Leave Ms. Kim in its place. Ecstatic. It's not like this CD is being produced anymore. I do plan on buying step 2/4 though. Maybe if I perform well on my midterms, I will. :P
While you're praying for a copy of Leave Ms. Kim to fall on your lap like it did mine, please know that NARSHA is still in print. You can grab your own copy at KpopHeaven/whatever your preferred retailer is.
Anywho, I'm expecting Alexz Johnson's Skipping Stone EP soon, so I'll probably post an unboxing for that when it arrives. Yay!
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