[Recap] 2016 January-April: Station Spotlight

We have had a good start to 2016. In the timespan of only four months, we have this year's top candidate for best song of the year, as well as a top candidate for best music video of the year. If you want to continue this path, the rapping throughout has also been good, leaving just the choreography department a little lacking, but we've still seen some performances worthy of making this trimester proud.

16. Stellar - Sting (65)
15. AOA Cream - I'm Jelly Baby (70)
14. Hyomin - Sketch (70)
13. NCT U - The 7th Sense (82)
12. Ladies' Code - Galaxy (82)
11. Dal Shabet - Someone Like U (82)
10. Lucky J - No Love (83)
9. GFriend - Rough (83)
8. 4minute - Hate (85)
7. Brave Girls - Deepened (85)
6. FIESTAR - Mirror (85)
5. Rainbow - Whoo (85)
4. NCT U - Without You (88)
3. Hyosung - Find Me (88)
2. Mamamoo - You're The Best (90)
1. Red Velvet - One Of These Nights (95)

Hyosung and Red Velvet were certainly the surprise breakouts this season, both scoring extremely well with their releases. Red Velvet earning a 95 which I believe is the highest I've ever rated any song. Looking back on past Recap pieces, Infinite got a 94 with "Bad" and 4minute a 93 with "Crazy." Both of those songs were at the top of the list come end of the year, so I expect "One Of These Nights" to follow, unless we're really blown away in the later parts of the year. Overachievers include 4minute and Rainbow, while GFriend and Dal Shabet probably could've been ranked higher. Lots of comebacks are slated for the summer period, so I can't wait to see how the Girl Group Power Rankings change.

In February, S.M. unleashed a new project "Station," dropping a new track (roughly) every week. This adds another level of consistency to an otherwise steady label (well not including all the contract disputes haha). There's been plenty of good stuff out of Station, including Heechul and Wheein's "Narcissus," and of course Taeyeon's "Rain." This puts S.M. to another level compared to JYP and YG. If they keep putting out high-quality tracks every week, they'll be unstoppable in 2016.

This highlights section will be a permanent staple in the Recap series, as I look to point out a few songs here and there that I overlooked or never got to review, as opposed to trying to pick the best out of the hundreds of songs already released. Besides, better to save that for the end of the year. I'll try and come up with other interesting sections for future Recaps, as well.

Mamamoo - Woo Hoo

Even when Mamamoo release OST, the quality is unbelievable. "Girl Crush" was album-worthy and so is this promotional video "Woo Hoo". Did you even listen to that opening? My ears were in heaven. The whole song is simply divine, and I expect the next album to include this song because it's that good. Moonbyul's rap insertion was done as well as it could have, but I continue to lament the lack of Moonbyul singing. Soon!

Chen & Heize - Lil' Something

By far the favorite of the Station set so far, no thanks to Chen's incredible voice. This kid can sing basically any genre and make it sound amazing. EXO's vocal line is already impressive and he's the main star of that group. He was the standout since their debut, or even before that because "What Is Love" is technically not their debut song. Anyway, my transition and discovery into Heize wasn't as smooth, as I wasn't that much a fan during her Unpretty Rapstar days, but she doesn't do a bad job here at all. She even gets to sing, which was a nice surprise.

JYP - Still Alive & Fire

It's not even halfway through the year and JYP has claimed not only 2016's best MV but also the 2nd best MV, too. Seriously, both these videos are hilarious and awesome. From the meta throwbacks and disgusting plastic (meme) pants to the Wonder Girls and Twice cameos, the tackiness is out of control. When you consider just how many other videos this year will be the stereotypical box set fodder, JYP has enough content in these MVs to ignore the boring dribble of other videos. We've now seen YG and JYP drop videos of the highest caliber. Will S.M. ever be able to match?

Lee Hi - Breathe

Lee Hi's development is astounding. Seems like only yesterday she was making her debut, showing us that she had quite the voice but also awkward mannerisms. However, it's evident now that she has been productive during that year-long drought. The singing in "Breathe" is heart-stopping and it's great to be able to sit back and listen to Lee Hi again. Her rich lower tones and delicate high notes are mixed together beautifully and the piano accompaniment is really good, too. The funny thing about this song is that my friend was playing it and I didn't recognize her voice, and I actually brought up how I wanted Lee Hi to comeback. Imagine the surprise, coincidence, and delight to find that this was in fact an Lee Hi piece.

Summer 2016 is gonna be a good time. Big names such as Sistar and AOA are going to be making comebacks, looking to solidify their spots at the top of the ladder after watching the rookies like Twice and Lovelyz dominate the airwaves for the first four months. There are also interesting solo efforts on the horizon, with the likes of Nicole, Tiffany, and Jessica joining the fray. All in all, looks like we have a recipe for another strong set of months ahead. Cheers.