CLC (씨엘씨) – Devil: MV Review

This time, we will feature again CLC, with their new song called Devil.

This will be the third comeback this year, and I am very pleased that they are catching up. Now that they are giving us something new, will this suit the author’s personal tastes? Let’s start!

(Side Note: Notice that CLC and (G)I-DLE follow the same pattern of releasing their MVs. So, expect another (G)I-DLE comeback by October.)

The storyline starts with girls in a table, sharing meals together. While at first it seems fine dining with each other, they are later trying to stab each other at the back.

So far, the moral lesson that can be grasped here is not to test other’s patience, or abuse their kindness. They supposedly wanted to show us that they “tried to be so polite,” but push them to the limits, where we can see their devilish side. Meanwhile, viewers will be taught to fix busted lights (0:40), play darts (0:44), and eat cereals (0:34).

Review by others

TheBiasList observed that the group returned back to “bright, addictive” concept. The musical palette being used helped keep the song stand out. What’s notable is on drawing music from the 50s, giving fresh start for the tunes and music as whole.

The rap was correctly placed where the rest of the song breathes, and its “sly” pre-chorus surprises us with new kind of build-ups. The blogger wanted more of it, but it’s a good start.

KPopReviewed noted that the group made so many comebacks this year. For positives, it was also “colorful and upbeat”, complementing it with their mature sounds. Overall, this was a great track.

Review as whole

They steered away from the badass, feministic concept that once defined them. This is a bit good, challenging them to be versatile. This move also lets them offer something new to Cheshires and other K-Pop fans.

Foremost is on adding funny scenes, absent in No and Me. They rendered it in a way that is not provocative, but enough to lift our moods. Funny scenes revolve more on “stabbing” each other, at 1:14 – 1:17, 1:22 – 1:24, 1:27 – 1:30, and at 1:35 – 1:37. Added funny scene was that of Seungyeon at 0:32, when about to be caught red-handed, pretended to eat the soap.

Second is on reintroducing the colorful bop performance, harking back to their special song No Oh Oh.

Finally, I find Yeeun’s raps quite modest. Maybe she toned it down to fit what’s required when doing happy bops like this. That’s okay.

Like, dislike

The only thing I personally disliked was on featuring horror (at 2:02 till end of video). I would prefer to cut this out, and this is they must improve next time.

Personally my most favorite tune is at interlude (2:18 – 2:30), where their bop tune at that point is very pleasing to ears. The members that stood out were Yeeun, still on her raps, and Elkie, when it comes to vocals and the way she acts.

Other netizens commented that CLC’s Devil reminds them of Red Velvet’s Russian Roulette. And similarities like revenge and bop-filled themes can be gleaned between the two songs.

TweetNewscaster’s Overall Rating: 84.55% (Updated)
Grade: C+
Assessment: Improving

Scoreboard

Aspect		Criterion	Points
Storyline	1	Storyline	5
Storyline	2	Consistent theme	5
Appearance	3	Colorful	5
Appearance	4	Good taste	4
Appearance	5	No Halloween, Easter, etc.	1
Appearance	6	No astrology featured	5
Appearance	7	Less horror featured	1
Appearance	8	Not too revealing outfits	5
Music	9	Exciting	5
Music	10	Not too deafening	5
Dance	11	Learned easily even by beginners	5
Dance	12	Not too sensual	5
Lessons	13	Moral lesson clearly stated	5
Lessons	14	Impart something beneficial for viewers	5
Other Matters	15	Sense of humor	10
Other Matters	16	Make it to mainstream media	4
Other Matters	17	Review by other sites	4
Other Matters	18	Review of MV as a whole	4
Other Matters	19	Shares concepts from other groups	5
		Uploads video to 1theK	5
		Features 1theK logo	0

CLC (씨엘씨) – ME (美): (MV Review)

For our next video review, we will feature for the first time CLC.

I only knew the group when they featured their song “NO” for this year. Their title was quite funny, as some commented that it was their response to TWICE’s “Yes or Yes.” I illustrated how these two songs fit together in my recent misheard lyric.

After their modest success in their first song, here comes the new lead song called “ME”. From the title itself, we can see the difference. Instead of displaying the Chinese character for “me,” (我) they chose to feature a different character (美).

The Chinese character means “beauty”. It was the same word being used as Chinese name for the United States (美国,literally “Beautiful Country”). This song continues to define their own version of beauty. But anyway, would they retain the momentum they had with their previous song “No”? The answer must be Yes or Yes. Haha. But you may enjoy first their MV before reviewing them.

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Storyline

1. Video must have a storyline – 5 points

While I haven’t understood clearly their storyline, they provided the same for their video in the description.

1theK, in its official YouTube page, provided a storyline on the MV:

CLC, who gave a strong impact to the public through “No” with the band’s confident and charismatic performance on January, tries to perfectly position themselves with new song “ME (美)”. CLC’s new song “ME (美)” refers to the theme of ‘beautiful me’ using the English word ‘Me’ and the same pronunciation of Chinese character ‘美’ meaning beauty, in a whimsical way. This song with the strong sound and beat as well as the strongly addictive refrain that reverses as the song proceeds shows CLC’s confident fascination to captivate everyone with their individuality and beauty.

2. Theme must be consistent and clear – 5 points

The group featured consistenly the art and the crowded spaces concept. Also, their theme revolves on their definition of beauty.

Lessons

13. Moral lesson must be clearly stated – 5 points

From what we can see in the whole video, they try to impart confidence. This is needed, especially when dealing with so many people.

Another moral lesson that might not be noticed is on different views when it comes to beauty. Somehow, the goat painted in white and black represents one painted (viewed) as beautiful while the other one has not. This might tell us on how to handle situations like these.

(And actually, beauty standards in Korea, though quite believable, are not gospel truth. CLC perfectly defined this lesson in “No” and this song: “I’m beautiful since I was born”/”태어날 때부터 아름다움” )

14. They must impart something beneficial for their viewers – 5 points

With many people using gadgets to play games, somehow they will tell viewers to try traditional games like this domino. This is featured at 2:38.

Other Matters

15. Inject sense of humor in the music video – 6 points

At 1:40, a member tries to put out fire by blowing instead of using fire extinguishers. Maybe she has powers to put out these?

Other than that, I did not see other funny scenes in the video.

16. Ability of the song to make it to mainstream media – 3 points

I gave this rating, as I am not certain this will make it to radio and TV.

17. Review by other sites – 4 points

TheBiasList contrasted CLC’s previous song with this one, noting the latter as a “diminished” version of them. This can also be compared with 4Minute’s “Hate”, particularly on the music.

Positive remarks were on the instrumentals, particularly on the percussions and “beat drops”, which goes together with their voices on the last seconds.

Negative points include their beat drop which was more than noisy, and focuses less on substance. The blogger also was not impressed with the song, and that the verses are bound to be forgotten. The song was also simplified to the point that it does not jive with various songs playing in the background.

KPopReviewed was excited on the group’s comeback, noting that they sticked to the “edgy” genre which made them known. This time, they matured on this specialty.

The most “memorable” part is on the instrumentals being played on the chorus, reminding also of 4Minute’s song. This is also a “wake-up call” in its own right, since the beats are quite “explosive”. He/she also liked their hooks and vocal sections, and noted that it would further stand out had they included thicker raps in the music. Meanwhile, the red stroke of paint was the best, as though simple, it speaks much.

Negative points were on the blandness of the song, which does not reflect the intense feeling they want to show. It was also not “edgy,” especially if we will listen to their acapellas. It lacks the sensual side of their choreography unlike their previous songs like “NO” or “Black Dress”.

18. Review of the music video as a whole – 5 points

Like what we discussed, they described the beauty as two faced, as seen on a goat in black and white. Being destroyed signifies that the days of defining what is and what is not beautiful are over.

On the visuals, I understand that they are featuring different aspects of beauty. However, this doesn’t have a coherent storyline. In fact, I haven’t understand as of this moment why they have to feature red paint. Maybe it represents the red lipstick?

I might agree with other reviewers. The song had less impact for me, unlike their song “No”. While the song has repeatedly stuck on my head, I doubt if this will be the case on “Me”.

Aside from that, it seems that Seungyeon gave way for her other members to stand out, especially on vocals. This is apparently the case if you compare her performance with that of “No”.

Most outstanding members for me were Sorn, who maintained her confidence in the two vids,…

…and another one is Yeeun, who lately caught my attention at 3:22. I also felt attracted to the latter, albeit with short hair, after watching her as emcee in MTV’s “The Show.”

On the outfits, I have to rate it at four points, as it was quite revealing. This can be seen at the start of the video. Meanwhile, one point lacking was on their music not being exciting enough. Three points for music since it was deafening. Four points are given on the dance being easily understood, since the difficult dance revolves on 2:20 – 2:24.

19. Other factors

• Features special effects – 5 points

Look at 3:06, where a member tips down dominoes to feature their title.

• Shares concepts with other groups – 5 points

The dark room concept (2:32) is shared with Dreamcatcher in their song Piri.

TweetNewscaster’s Overall Rating: 85.22%

Final Words

CLC’s latest performance in MTV’s “The Show” convinced me to revise my original rating upward.

The song is not bad enough. On a personal note, I also liked their daring moves and their execution of choreography. I see that they are more confident doing it unlike their previous song.

Since they released the song “ME,” I made a running joke about it.

CLC: Me?

Also CLC: No.

Some points need to be improved here. This is more on defining the storyline and simplifying their dances. Except for these, they made a good choice on positioning themselves to the genre they want. It is hoped that the review will let them take it as a challenge to outdo themselves every comeback.