[Recap] 2017 May-August: Solos Shine

I'm going to try and come up with slightly creative (but not really) titles for these Recap articles. It's so dull just calling every single on a trimester. Even more tough will be going through old Recaps and adding a name to those. Anyway summer was a good time, as we saw solid releases from a lot of groups across the board, but it's more about the solo releases - mostly from group members. Who are they? Scroll down and see.

9. Cosmic Girls - Happy (80)
8. Monsta X - Newton (80)
7. DAY6 - Hi Hello (80)
6. Sonamoo - Friday Night (83)
5. Girls' Generation - Holiday (85)
4. SF9 - Easy Love (85)
3. Red Velvet - Red Flavor (90)
2. KARD - Hola Hola (92)
1. Sistar - Lonely (95)

Slowly getting back into the groove I am. Though I haven't written enough reviews to use the spoiler bar thing. Guess that will have to wait until the next Recap. Also nice to see that I've actually started doing some writing on guy groups. Three out of nine isn't too bad (and KARD is half lol) so I'll try and improve on that ratio as we get into the fall times. Sistar's goodbye tops the charts while Red Velvet and KARD were not far behind. Maybe Blitz reviews will have to be weighted a little differently somehow, but to be honest it doesn't really matter much. The scoreboard portion is just to look at the reviews together anyway.

Taeyang - Darling

Big Bang is always active in some way, shape, or form. A few weeks back Taeyang released "Darling" and "Wake Me Up" for his solo comeback, and the former is something I've had on repeat for a while. The song definitely reminds me of "Eyes, Nose, Lips" though it has much more power compared to the older ballad. The chorus is loud and in a good way. Like I said in a Big Bang post, I have finally seen Taeyang in the main vocalist spotlight that he so deserves. This latest comeback is proof of that.

9MUSES - Remember

Now this is the 9MUSES I was looking for. "Lip 2 Lip" was cute but where these girls excel is this concept, this genre. Vocals are on point, visuals are on point, and the MV is...creepy enough to be on point I guess? Sojin impressed with her rap sequence, and if this is the lineup of the future (Sungah please come back) it's comforting to know that their rapping will only lose a few steps without Erin. Hyemi and Kyungri sound as good as ever, and this is the type of music that works well with their voices. Sleeper pick for one of the best tracks of the year as "Remember" is solid.

Sunmi - Gashina

This song gives me life. Sunmi is with JYP no longer but "Gashina" is another star track to add to her resume as a solo artist. I guess since Wonder Girls no longer exists she is actually a true blue solo artist now. Damn. Anyway "Gashina" flows really well and the chorus kept the buildup from the verses before (albeit a tiny bit repetitive). And have you seen her perform this live? She is a charismatic wonder on stage. Her expressions flash from dork to seductress in an instant - it's truly incredible to watch.

G-Dragon - Untitled, 2014

I'd never call a G-Dragon release "underrated" but I feel people didn't talk enough about this song. It's gorgeous from beginning to end, no questions asked. GD has released so much material over the years and has rapped so much in Big Bang's music that you often forget his singing voice is quite nice. Given that he is one of the more notable rappers that sing, it's no surprise. The best part about "Untitled, 2014" is that the song is in the same vein as some of Big Bang's other classics such as "Loser" or "Last Dance." The difference here being G-Dragon is the only singer. This man is as versatile as ever.

The most immediate news at time of writing is that BESTie is done. Maybe not officially, but Uji and Dahye are outta here. That's their vocal carry and rapper - there's no way the group is continuing on unless they get new members. With the hiatus that is still ongoing, it's no surprise at least one member wanted out. Combined with Stellar's news, it adds to the ever-growing list of marquee girl groups that are suffering.

In the non-music world I've been watching Dara's Youtube videos and she's such a sweetheart. Watching her jam out to 2NE1 songs was so heartwarming. Also Knowing Brothers is wonderful and will continue to be wonderful. Apparently BTS are on soon and that should be quite entertaining. Running Man might also have gotten some favor back for me. I haven't really tuned in much after the new cast members were added but this recent episode (with Soyu) was pretty good. Perhaps they get another chance.

I feel pretty good about my blog progress during this summer. Started writing regularly again and increased the diversity in terms of the groups I covered. If there's one thing I have figured out (maybe?) is that the views on my blog have returned to normal. It makes me think that the huge spike in viewership on my blog from earlier in the year was due to botting since the activity has been quite low - in terms of views anyway, I rarely ever get comments here...Regardless! I'll continue to blog as it is my hobby and passion. Just gotta keep going on. Seeyou next blog post!