Another day, another delivery. This time, from YesAsia, I recieved 4 new CDs. Let's take a look :)

Girls' Generation - Girls' Generation

First up, it's Girls' Generation - Girls' Generation. This is their debut Japanese album. I am so glad I bought this as it was one of the best albums of 2011. It has 4 Japanese remakes of their older Korean hits and 8 brand new Japanese songs. I think their original Japanese songs are awesome - they're really different to their Korean material. It's very modern, electronic and somewhat futuristic - a sound that I absolutely love. This is just a normal CD case as it's from Japan, but I like the artwork nonetheless.

KARA - STEP (Normal Edition)

Secondly, it's KARA's 3rd album STEP. Another AMAZING album from 2011 that I've only just got round the buying. There was a special edition of STEP, but I opted for the normal edition as I much prefer the artwork. It's really funky and bright, and the concept seems to be a Rubik's cube theme, which I love. Artwork is really fun, and the CD disc itself is also really cool!

KARA - STEP (Opened up) 

Dal★Shabet - Hit U

 Thirdly, it's Dal★Shabet's Hit U. This is their 4th mini album and is another amazing release. We get 3 brand new tracks on this mini album (plus remixes of Dream In U and Hit U, plus a Hit U instrumental). I love the artwork! Dal★Shabet wear some really individual and cool clothes. The album has this bright, fiery concept and also lots of black and white photos, showcasing their darker side! The next two images show how the album unfolds (plus, it shows the Viki tradingcard that I got with it).

Dal★Shabet - Hit U (half open)

Dal★Shabet - Hit U (fully open)

IU - Last Fantasy

 And last, but certainyl not least, is Last Fantasy by IU. Oh my goodness! What amazing packaging! I was completely shocked when I opened this up. It's absolutely beautiful and is now one of my favourite CD packages ever! It's really big (see below to see how it compares to a normal CD). The artwork is fantastic, so much effort has gone into it - IU looks absolutely gorgeous. The album is seriously beautiful too, so I'm really pleased to see that the package itself matches the quality of the album.

IU - Last Fantasy (size comparison)

IU - Last Fantasy (Fully opened up)

Thanks for reading!

My next parcel will contain:

- SPICA - 1st Mini Album
- miss A - Touch
and.... (insert drumroll)
- BIG BANG's 5th Mini Album 'ALIVE' (G-Dragon Version) (!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Dal★Shabet released their new mini album Hit U today in Korea and although I've already pre-ordered my copy, I had a quick listen online to see what they served up for the fourth outing.

1) Fire It Up may be the fiercest song they've done to date. Although they've mainly gone down the cute route (I think I've coined something there... "cute route"), their mini albums have often had hot R&B dance numbers, such as Shakalaka or their eponymous Dal★Shabet song. This is by far the boldest track they've ever done - it's tailor made for the club and the beat is insane! Although their vocals aren't shown off to their best ability here, the track proves to be stomping song setting the album up with a BANG.

2) Hit U is of course the girls' title song (see the music above). Now THIS is AMAZING. I'm not sure how to express my love for this song. Despite only hearing it for 24 hours, I've completly grown to love it. It's edgy, in your face and danceable like their other hits. The lyrics are powerful and strong - matching the heavy beat of the song. What I like about this song is the line distribution. Whereas their other title songs had only Serri and Subin singing the most parts, and Viki rapping; Hit U features all 6 girls equally (except weakest vocalist AYoung - oops!). JiYul in particular sounds incredible on the song and I'm glad she finally gets her chance to shine! She's also the star of the music video, playing the "woman scorned" and getting revenge on her boyfriend and his friends. The dramatic video involves lots of shooting and... pink blood. Very interesting and unique concept!

3) Chu Ma Boy may have a bit of silly title, but it's actually a really sweet song. It definately sits well with their other slower songs such as Rollin' Fallin' and Oh !!WoW!!, but Chu Ma Boy is much more mature. Although highly "cute", the song has soulful R&B undertones and Viki's rapping skills really compliment the slowest point of this mostly upbeat album.

4) Dream In U (Remix) and Hit U (Remix). Usually I'm not a fan of remixes, but these two remixes are actually really great! I thought Dream In U (which features on their last mini album Bling Bling) was a fantastic song to begin with, but the remix takes away the retro vibe of the original and turns it into a modern, club song. And the Hit U remix is just a lighter version of the grittier original version of Hit U. Although they do not beat the original songs, I definately welcome having them at the end of the mini album.

*****

When my copy of Hit U arrives, I'll be sure to review the packaging of the album and show you guys how it looks!

As you may already know, Dal★Shabet were by far my favourite rookie group of 2011. I loved each of their three albums and fell in love with each girl's individual personality and style. They had great success in 2011 and  are no doubt looking to further their success now it is 2012. They are no longer a rookie group and are proving it in their last campaign for their fourth mini album - titled, Hit U.

Although we are yet to hear the full song or see the full video, we have a short teaser for Hit U which was posted 4 days ago. In just this short clip, we can already see how Dal★Shabet has shed their former good girl image and are returning to the K-Pop scene with something daring, dark and edgy. Whereas we're used to the girls in colourful outfits and their cute gestures, we know see Dal★Shabet in black outfits and wielding guns. Although they've update their look to a more sophisticated image, the blood in the video is still typical Dal★Shabet - it's pink!

We can only hear a small clip of the song in this teaser but needless to say, it already sounds more edgy than their usual happy sound of previous hits Bling Bling and Supa Dupa Diva.

I'm 100% sure that their Hit U round of promotions will further propell Dal★Shabet into stardom and success. 

THE BASICS
6 Member Girl Group: Viki, Serri, GaEun, Jiyul, Ayoung, Subin
Hit Singles:  Supa Dupa Diva, Pink Rocket, Bling Bling
Mini Albums: Supa Dupa Diva, Pink Rocket, Bling Bling


MY THOUGHTS
Ahh Dal★Shabet.... where do I begin? Without a doubt, these girls have been the best rookies of 2011. They debuted in the first week of January and throughout 2011 they've gone from strength to strength. For some reason, I really connected with this group from the beginning. Of course, "Supa Dupa Diva" is no lyrical genius, it can be cheesey and cutesey - but there was something about Dal★Shabet that had me mesmorised.


Their debut was so bright and colourful and just FUN. They didn't debut with a sexy concept and they didn't often wear matching outfits - each girl was unique and different from the beginning. I also felt like they weren't trying to be like another group - they weren't aiming to be the next Girls' Generation or 2NE1 like most girl groups seem to want to be like nowadays. Instead, they were just Dal★Shabet - unique.

I was very happy when I stumbled across this post on allkpop.com!
On April 14th, DalShabet will be releasing their second mini album - "Pink Rocket". These are some promo shots for the upcoming album and I can't wait to hear the music if the pictures are this incredible! The girls have gone for a totally new image - whilst still remaining cute yet individual, as shown in their debut mini album "Supa Dupa Diva".

Can't wait for "Pink Rocket" to come out!

There's definately something special about Dal★Shabet. New Korean Girlband of 2011? Check. Sugary sweet and very pink? Check. Having a very successful debut? Check. Being actually amazingly good? BIG CHECK.

I'm not entirely sure what it is, but since the January 1st I've just totally gravitated to this group. Sure, that might be totally stupid, wierd and highly strange and worrying - but it's true. These are 6 girls which good vocals, killer dance moves and 4 fantastic song on their debut music offering - Dal★Shabet 1st Mini Album.

1. Dal★Shabet

2. Supa Dupa Diva

3. Very Charming

4. Oh!! WoW!!

5. Supa Dupa Diva (Instrumental)

Lead single "Supa Dupa Diva" has been performed on every Korean TV show going - and the song has done incredibly well for this rookie girl group, amidst big comebacks from TVXQ, SECRET and T-ara. The song is pure pop - add in some brass, some sugar, a lollipop, bunny ears, ribbon and a pink frosted cupcake - and then you get "Supa Dupa Diva".

However, the other 3 original songs on their 1st mini album are completely different, without a lollipop or cupcake in sight. "Dal★Shabet" - the first song and introductory album track - heavily features Bigtone, who raps in Korean and English and explains how the girls have "just landed from the moon". The track is edgy, rough around the edges and heavy-hitting bassy track - which at only 2 mins 14 secs definately packs a big punch! It's catchy, and shows what the girls all about - 6 strong yet cute, powerful yet funny girls. Then it's "Supa Dupa Diva" which we know is just insanely catchy. Track 3 is "Very Charming" - but not some cute and sugary ballad. It's a gritty track, but very anthemic and vocal driven song - which wouldn't sound out of place in a nightclub. Serri's high-pitched vocals mix surprsingly well with the heavy-hitting chanting of the chorus, and it makes the song a real winner. Onto track 4, which is the 4th yet completely different song from the girls. "Oh!! WoW!!" has another cute title, and the song lives up to it's name. Suprisingly though, it's more of a reggae-tinged song. Despite being released in January, this song is perfect for summer afternoons on the beach. It's a nice break after 3 very strong tracks, and shows of the girls' great singing vocals.

Don't let these girls fool you - yes, they're innocent and beautiful and talented and insaley "cute" - but their music speaks a lot more than their image. It's crazy how with only 4 tracks, these girls have completely taken me over - their songs are simply magnificent.