The cameraman for U-KISS has a field day with this music video.
Did you like the song?
Despite working for years and presenting catchy song after catchy song and video, I still feel that U-KISS is one of the most under-appreciated groups out there. I’m not sure what’s causing that—mismanagement in some way? Is NH Media not promoting them heavily enough? What is it about them that isn’t having a huge mass appeal? Well, whatever—the group appeals to me and has always impressed with their hard work, addictive songs, distinctive dances, and positive attitudes, so I’m going to try to give them as much publicity as I can, even if I’m still a bit bitter about them replacing two of their members (switching out Kibum and Xander with AJ and Hoon).
Musically, though, the group continues to evolve and improve, and “Doradora” does not disappoint. It’s a mixture of electronica and rock with a bit of dubstep thrown in and passionate lines delivered intensely, all of which combines to create a danceable, fun, and totally catchy song.
What was your favorite part of the song?
I really love the transitions between one section and another. So I suppose I have to have two favorite parts. The first is here, right after the chorus when Hoon takes over, and the second is here right after that part, when Kevin takes over and goes into that insanely sexy “heundeuronwa biteuronwa nan ojirowo ojirowo” (“You shake me up, you make me stumble, I’m dizzy, so dizzy”). I can’t explain it; they’re just really badass section transitions, and Hoon’s voice is almost unbearably sexy singing them.
Does the English make you want to rip your eardrums out?
Um, at the beginning of this song, did they try to rhyme the word nuance (pronounced NEW-ahnce) with bounce (which...just has one syllable)? Oh dear.
I swear that Eli’s strange, angry English lines are a highlight of U-KISS’s songs nowadays. Eli’s a native English speaker, so that’s always been a weird thing with U-KISS that I’m now actually looking forward to in a perverse way. He must petition the songwriters for these lines or something. In “Manmanhani,” it was “You make me pissed off!” In “Sikkeuro!” it was “Girl, you’re pissing me off.” Here, he has the fairly straightforward lines, “I hate you!” and “I don’t want you back.” Why don’t you tell us how you really feel, Eli?
Also, in case you’re wondering, it seems that the main riff, “dora dora dora,” means something like, “Go away because you’re making me crazy.” AJ explains it better than I can. It seems that U-KISS are just repeatedly unlucky in love.
Did you like the video?
According to Kevin, the concept is “dizziness, with a spinning effect.” You’d think they’d have enough spinning around with “Binguel Binguel” (“Round and Round”), the music video for which uses a few of these cool rotating camera tricks.
But I’m glad they didn’t give up that concept because this music video for “Doradora” is so freakin’ cool. The first time I saw this, I was so fascinated that I couldn’t really pay attention to the song or anything else in the video because I just had to know how they staged all those cool shots. Ones like this:
and this:
and this:
and this:
And of course they’re all just optical illusions, but sooo visually interesting. As far as I understand it, it’s just clever staging, set design, acting, and camera rotation, but if you’re interested in seeing some more details on how they filmed the music video, this making-of video is fun, even if the narration is a bit awkward at times (and they mix up AJ and Kiseop at one point).
But that bed is vertically attached to the wall, isn’t that awesome? So in this photo (below), Kevin is standing normally and Hoon is lying with his back on the floor and his feet in the air, and the whole room is oriented sideways.
Was there a storyline? If so, did it make sense?
The U-KISS members are stuck in a horrific carnival funhouse ride that consists of a revolving bedroom, a blue and white room, and various areas that are lit with black lights.
Possibly called something like the “Fun Factory” or “Wacky Shack” or something equally ominous and vaguely creepy. And constantly having to keep on their toes lest gravity crush them makes everybody very tired. All they want to do is sleep, but the rotation makes it impossible.
My personal theory is that Kevin is the puppet master, or perhaps Time Lord, considering the fact that he can skillfully manipulate an hourglass while in a spinning container:
His motivation is simple—who wouldn’t want an entire Kpop group forever stuck in a bedroom where you can observe them? Er...sorry, I’ll tone down the fangirling now. :)
Was the dance cool and distinctive?
Um, can I just—
SO SEXY, OMG.
U-KISS dances are always a treat, and this one is particularly special with that sexy snapping wave motion and the parts where they go in a circle (and shuffle!).
I love the total wanton abandonment with which U-KISS dances and how each member puts his own little spin on each move instead of going for robotic synchronization.
Do the members look good?
Yesss, so good. I was very pleased that all the members seemed to get adequate screentime.
Which member stood out the most?
It’s, like, a four-way tie between AJ, Eli, Kiseop, and Kevin here for me. AJ was front and center and really different-looking a lot of the time (something about his eyes are so arresting), Eli’s bleached hair is like a beacon, and Kiseop…is Kiseop (i.e. sex on legs) and also has maroon hair to boot. The man could not look more gorgeous. And despite his weirdly elongated t-shirts, Kevin looks so good doing that dance (heh, I’m a tad biased, though; Kevin’s my favorite).
Now, who do I have to pay to get Kevin to go back to his “Manmanhani”-era hair?
Do you like it enough to buy the song?
Yes, I do! I’ll have to add another to my top ten U-KISS songs list. :)
Any ending thoughts?
Did you know that AJ studied at Columbia University in New York? That’s a very prestigious school and a very impressive achievement!
Also, don’t confuse this song with Nep’s “Doradora.”
Boyfriend’s one-liner:
“Makes me want to play ‘And Yet It Moves’ [a video game where you can rotate the camera angle to change gravity].”
Thanks for reading! Please share your comments below! :)
Haha, that's funny, I just posted my review of "One Shot," though mine was more about the music video than the song. Cool!
ReplyDeleteYour blog is neat; I like that you have both books and Kpop on there (can't believe you didn't like "24/7," though! I adore it!). I guess my only suggestion would be to tag the entries so that people can more easily browse?
Sorry, I'm not really into button-swapping, but I will RSS/follow your site! :)
http://kisskisskpopreviews.blogspot.ca/2013/02/review-bapone-shot.html
Gosh.. When I saw this video, I didn't really know their names yet, just Kevin and Dongho, but this was so mindblowing.. I really loved the camera tricks... and gosh, the dance... o.o;;;;; Fangirling is a really big blow to "innocence" that kids are supposed to have... XD
ReplyDeleteI know, isn't it amazing?! I just want to stare at it all day long...Hope this helped you learn their names a bit better! :)
ReplyDeleteOMG! I just ADORE this music video and this group! I agree, they're definitely one of the most underrated groups, and I can't see why! They sing well, dance well, and rap well. They also do well enough on variety shows and dramas... I must say, I put this video on replay a lot because the song is so catchy, the dance is just sexy, and the video is so cool... x.x
ReplyDeleteI hope they win an award in Korea soon...♡