Tuesday, June 28, 2016

[MV Review] SISTAR – “I Like That”




[AKF: Welcome AKF42's newest member, kalliope!]

Like clockwork, SISTAR is back with another summer comeback/opportunity for them all to vigorously shake their asses at a camera.  Fortunately, even a broken clock (see: the extremely unlistenable Shake It, the fairly unlistenable but mercifully body-roll-heavy My Boy) is right twice a day. And I Like That is one of those times.



Who could have predicted this choreo?!?!
A departure from the super happy summer fare they’ve been cranking out for the past couple of years, I Like That is a return to the dark, dramatic textures they used to such excellent effect in Alone. Despite the change from major to minor, though, the production here is extremely standard SISTAR fare: you’ve got some mildly interesting horns, a heck of a lot of percussion, and Hyorin belting constantly. The thing about SISTAR is that they crank the production up as loud and as heavy as Hyorin can handle (which is very, very loud and very, very heavy) but that sometimes ends up drowning out the weaker voices in the group. As per usual, Soyou is decent, Dasom is a non-event and Bora is bad at rapping but good at being pretty. But despite the mixed bag of vocalists and the subpar rapping, I Like That is eminently listenable thanks to the solid hook and nifty rhythmic trick at the end of the chorus. The horn line is employed with enough tact that it manages to avoid annoying the crap out of listeners, and the production backs off enough to really let Hyorin shine (which is the only reason anyone listens to SISTAR songs anyway).

You can close those curtains, Dasom, nobody wants to see you
As for the video, it’s a pretty standard dance-in-the-box sexy concept. There’s a gesture in the direction of a storyline featuring Dasom, the least interesting person in the group and possibly the world, but otherwise it’s just a tableau of SISTAR-standard ass-shaking, bed-splaying, longing gazes into the camera, etc. They play with some fabric, Bora looks surprisingly sexy with short hair (which she cuts in the middle of the video for … reasons) and blue contacts, Soyou rolls around on some rose petals for like thirty milliseconds and then basically never appears again, the girls wear some extremely regrettable nude illusion bodysuits, Hyorin has boobs and we are thankful for it, Dasom does not have boobs but pretends really hard like she does and we are still pretty thankful for it. Everybody has tattoos, if you’re into that.

The only thing Soyou does in this video is lie down. I feel you, girl
This sure as hell isn’t SISTAR’s best work, but it also isn’t their worst. I could do without Bora rapping and the entire bridge section of the song, but everyone looks at least somewhat hot in the video (Bora, you’re the real MVP), the percussion and horn lines are standard kpop fare but a good time nonetheless, and Hyorin can still belt it. 3.5/5, would listen again. 

26 comments:

  1. Hey Dasom loves strectching her pooper. That alone makes her the most interesting idol ever.

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    1. You're right. Gotta give credit where credit is due.

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  2. I want to see Dasom. I love her. She's so good in this MB, too. Mmmmmmmm...

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  3. I couldn't pin point it, but I had to watch the video on mute.

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  4. Sexy ladies in a fine establishment, I really like this concept.

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  5. Totally agree. They've been on cruise control for years. I'd love to see them do something truly original, but I doubt that'll happen anytime soon. Their formula is way too successful for them to risk shaking things up.

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  6. Actually Dasom really stood out this time for me...but then Bora is the best so no.

    And welcome kalliope! Should I call you oppa or unnie?

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  7. Welcome Kalliope! oppar or unnir?

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  8. I don't get why people want to know if you got a dick or vagina.
    What I can say is, I like your writing style and I accidentaly didn't read who wrote it first and thought it was AKF.


    As for the song, the refrain sounds very similar to me and the MV does not have enough Soyu.

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    1. I have no idea why either. But I'm so glad to hear you like my writing! Couldn't agree more on the Soyou front -- she is criminally underutilized.

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  9. Yeah I was also surprised at how good the quality of the song is, after their latest diarrhea vomit inducing 'Shake It'.

    I love the chinese influence of the MV set, with the lanterns, tattoos and overall red visuals.

    As much as I think Bora is pretty, her rapping really grates my ear sometimes, wish she can just stay silent or some shit.

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    1. I, too, wish I could put Bora on mute.

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    2. Bora's rapping is far less offensive than Hyolyn's glottal attack and straining.

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  10. Welcome to the crew. There will always be contrary people so just don't give a fuck and write whatever you want. If we wanted to compromise ourselves we'd monetize.

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    1. Happy to be here, happy to have somewhere on the internet where I can engage in unmitigated assholery.

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  11. Also Dasom parties with Sulli like a true iljin cao ni ma (notice she took focus in the Chinese-inspired concept to emphasize the cao ni ma) and if she ever wants her own Choiza I'll be right here.

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    1. Allow me to expound and perhaps you'll appreciate her more.

      Like anyone with a penis, when I saw Sistar debut...
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-WzG9vzRpM
      ...I couldn't help but notice Bora was HOT AS FUCK. I joined #TeamBora and never really left.

      But later Shady Girl came out and I was like yo that other girl got way cuter, or maybe they just stopped nerfing her, I dunno but she cute. Then, later on in this performance...
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTrXvb9cqy0
      ...I was like YO DAMN DASOM GIRL WHAT UP.

      She got all chic and sassy and super power charms. Yet when not doing this upbeat song she also had some cold bitch charms and I'm into that. Then in some performance at the end of 2011 she tossed in one of these...
      http://i.imgur.com/cqukLJV.mp4
      ...and it was so naughty I can't even find a video of the performance anymore probably because they censored it out of existence.

      When she didn't get any criticism because she wasn't popular enough to hate on, she realized she's untouchable and reconnected with her inner cao ni ma that she stuffed away to debut with a group. She carried it forward into Alone promos.

      Soon she was seductively flirting with all the fanboys while the other members were oblivious to what camera was even on...
      http://i.imgur.com/w2mNNfB.mp4

      She also started getting TV roles around that time to gain popularity and influence. Now that Sistar is well established as a veteran group so they can do whatever they want, she's taking over just enough to get more attention but not have to carry the group because who wants that extra work? Straight hustle.

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    2. This comment went far above and beyond the call of duty, and has in fact convinced me that Dasom has game. I formally retract my previous insinuation that she has the sex appeal and charisma of a bowl of plain yogurt.

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    3. 70% of my effort is put into comments rather than writing my own articles.

      Delete
  12. Welcome, kalliope. I look forward to more of your work.

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  13. New author meets required standards

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  14. There is a pattern. So Cool was a culmination of their previous singles and hit it big time so they changed style. There come Alone which became a phenomenon Starship had to cash it with Loving U in the same year. Repeat Alone with Give It to Me. Time to change here comes Touch my Body which was also phenomenon=repeat Loving U wiht I Swear. Repeat Touch my Body with Shake It. So here we are.

    Ps Dasom is hot as fuck

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