[Misc] The Late Report: February 2021

I nearly forgot that February is a short month, so uh...anyways! Here's some stuff. Fuck you Blogger and your impossible-to-format bullshit. The inconsistency is driving me bonkers.

The Big Bully Blitz

February's Kpop news theme has been the plethora of bullying accusations being lobbed like candy. Some names include but are not limited to: Loona's Chuu, Seventeen's Mingyu, Stray Kids' Hyunjin, and Hyuna. All I have to say on the matter is a simple "yikes." Bullying is an entirely different beast in Asia so the only hope I have is that the truth comes to light.

Interesting Comeback Stage

Remember this track? "Black" was great and now many years later, we get a comeback performance of a different variety. Kpop's newest power couple has been born with Big Bang's G-Dragon and Black Pink's Jennie. I'd be lying if I said I remembered other famous Kpop couples, but this is definitely one of the strongest pairings to memory. Surprisingly, there's only a seven year age gap between the two. I guess it's more that I thought G-Dragon was older than 32 (turning 33 this August). Good for both of them.

SHINee - Don't Call Me

Don't. This song is awful. It sounds like the type of shit that EXO and NCT would do, and I honestly thought SHINee would be better than that. They had found their stride prior to military enlistment but seems like that's been lost as the younger groups in their company took control of everything. I just can't. More Minho rapping? Get the fuck outta here. Because they're veterans I gave them the respect of finishing the song but damn, I was not happy to do so. Swing a huge miss out of SHINee.

Collection of Miscellaneous Shit

And now a jumble blob of some other things that I noticed. Positive, negative, neutral, it's all fair game. Some German radio show host said racist shit to BTS, essentially calling them the same as coronavirus? I don't think I've ever written the words "career suicide" before but it's appropriate here. A stalker broke into T-ARA's Soyeon's house? That's fucking horrifying and I hope that creep goes to jail. Cherry Bullet and a few others have hosted AMA threads on reddit, which is cool. Luna sets up her own label, that's pretty good. Hopefully she'll see some success. Finally, some comeback news on the horizon, with the likes of Jessi, V, and DAY6 as headliners.

Late Rollin' to a #1 Spot

Brave Girls have had their EXID / Hani moment. Their song "Rollin'," which originally released in 2017, recently hit #1 on Bugs Chart, their first ever. Quite impressive considering that the throwbacks usually can't compete with their modern competitors. Great to see from them, though unfortunately I don't see a rise to superstardom in their future because the group is too unstable. Regardless, a win is a win and the song is quite good, despite the awkward pronunciation. Anyway that's all for today. Until next time, whenever that may be. Stay safe and healthy.

[Review] Solji - I'm Here With You

The end of this blog is near. Kpop as a whole has never been further down on my list of interests, and keeping up with releases and that nature. Combine that with the continuous frustration of Blogger's bullshit means it's unlikely I make it to the nine year mark. We'll have to see what happens. Regardless, I promise to keep y'all in the loop no matter the situation.

[Review] 9MUSES - Drama (Revisited)

"Drama" came out a little over five years ago, and it was yet another rebranding of 9MUSES who had suffered through their most dramatic roster shift yet, losing Sera, Lee Sem, and Eunji. Some pillars remained like Hyemi and Hyuna, while new members Keumjo and Sojin made their debuts.

• The song itself is quite good. "Drama" is carried by the pretty vocals of 9MUSES, with Kyungri and Hyemi at the top of the list. There's a variety of structure in the song and all the members do well in filling those roles out. Having said that, "Drama" is rather bland and while the "only you~" hook is catchy, nothing else really makes this song unique, per se. Past releases like "Wild" and "Glue" had a signature 9MUSES sound to them, and while this song is most like "Dolls," the chorus is not nearly as powerful and the rapping is too segmented to be very effective.

Slightly contradictory comments everywhere in this paragraph. Bland chorus but pretty vocals, segmented structure but quite good. In present day I simply revere the older catalogue too much to have much appreciation for "Drama" like this.

[Misc] Thought Corner: Goodness Gracious GFriend

Oh yeah, we're definitely in the endgame now. It is what it is, but let's talk about GFriend briefly. Um. They're dumb. Really fucking dumb. Photos with a Nazi mannequin? Saving said photos as "Kitler?" That ain't it. Like at all. I don't care what kind of excuse you have, that shit is inexcusable. These members aren't some doe-eyed babies either. Maknae Umji turns 21 this year. Even if we were somehow in a bizarre alternate timeline where the Korean education system taught absolutely nothing about WWII history, surely a Hitler-inspired nickname would have raised some flags? No? Okay then. Later GFriend, it's been real. I think I remember some vague news from a few years back about BTS also being under fire for some Nazi-related shenanigans and it's pretty baffling that we're seeing something similar surface again in modern day. Of course there was some half-baked apology and whatever but yikes man, yikes.

[Misc] The Late Report: January 2021

January is over and despite my lack of attention, there have been some interesting releases this month. Whether it's a preview of things to come or the rest of the year will deviate wildly, remains to be seen. Hope everyone has had a good (or at least better) start to their year than both myself and or last year. Stay safe out there. But then why are you "out there?"

Hyuna - I'm Not Cool

As I've said before on this series, not every song that makes it here is good. Hyuna has always been hit or miss with me and this time, she's struck out on three pitches. I just...don't like anything presented here. Some commenter on reddit said "the song isn't that good but Hyuna just makes it work." To that I say, "what exactly did she make work?" The structure is all over the place and I legit couldn't stomach a full second listen. Also this video thumbnail do be hella uncomfortable.

[Review] IU - Celebrity

Well this is eerily similar to how last year started, as this early release from a female solo act is the most exciting thing I've heard so far. Granted, I definitely have not heard much but that's what star power does for ya. IU is coming back with an album and released "Celebrity" ahead of time. Will this song hold up at the end of the year, like Younha's "Winter Flower" before it?

[Misc] Heartbreak

Well, as if this year couldn't start any worse, my cat passed away earlier this week. My family adopted her about 14 months ago and I'm just...depressed. There's really no other word for it. These last five days have bene a gray blur. I didn't have energy or interest to write about Kpop when the year began and I certainly don't have any of that shit now. I'm sure I'll be "back to normal" in a week. Life's tough. Cherish your pets.

[Review] Girl's Day - Something (Revisited)

Despite my best efforts, here is some writing about writing of an old song. I will soldier on this year and we'll see how far things go.

• So with that said, I’m going to go ahead and review the “Something” that didn’t have me cringing, although I was first concerned on how Girl’s Day and TVXQ would be releasing a lead track with the same title. I’m pretty sure Girl’s Day is the first group to have pieces reviewed for a third time, which is impressive given I only discovered them last year.

Girl's Day were one of the most hype girl group discoveries across my many years of Kpop, and so the instant infatuation led to multiple reviews. Also, I wonder about the other various occurrences of groups releasing a song with the same title.

[Misc] Thought Corner: Kpop Hopes In 2021

It's been tradition over the last four years to start the blog off with this type of post, so despite less attachment to the Kpop world, here we go. Linked is another SM rendition of "Hope" with their current roster, and man... It feels me with equal amounts nostalgia and depression seeing all the people who are no longer there. Heechul (and Sungmin) not there. Taeyeon and Taemin the only representatives of their groups. EXO with just Kai and Baekhyun. No f(x) at all. NCT members are like 40% of the entire present roster, and I'm pretty sure there are more of them that aren't in the video. It's crazy seeing the evolution and passage of time within a company, and in general. No BoA is omega cringe, but at least Kangta was there at the end. Anyway that's enough of that. Now let's look back at what I looked forward to during January of 2020, before the world-shattering events.

[Misc] The Late Report: December 2020

Short but sweet comes the December Late Report. Can't wait to still be pissed off about how Blogger fucks with my formatting. It's been months now and it still won't play nice with when I try to insert images or Youtube videos. I also may or may not have consumed a copious amount of alcohol while writing this. But as the young kids these days say, poggers or whatever.

This DLC Fucks

I don't care what the people say: CLC + Dreamcatcher = DLC. There's no better nickname for that combination. Anyway watch this choreography. It's not like I could comment on it in any way, shape, or form but like... They do be slayin' though. It's a damn shame CLC is fucking finished thanks to Cube's incompetence because who knows that the future holds for Seungyeon. She deserves better. The whole of CLC likely deserves better, but man. Seungyeon hopefully won't flame out because she's a goddamn star.

[Bonus] 2020 Kpop Awards

What, you wanted some sort of introduction to the 2020 Kpop Awards? C'mon now have you been reading anything I've posted this year? I stopped paying real attention to the scene back in late February and have been barely coasting by since then. So we have seven total awards of...exciting caliber. Who will take home the most lackluster titles to date, let's find out.

Best Girl Group: TWICE

The carousel of this award continues to spin round and round. Twice are back to winning this award after doing so in 2016. Coronavirus did not slow them down because they continued with another huge slate of releases both in Korea and Japan. While I wouldn't say that every single title was spectacular - especially because I don't give a shit about Japanese releases - their track record simply outperforms the competition. "More & More" was alright (though hella repetitive) but it was "I Can't Stop Me" that bolsters their position. Ultimately their production and falloff from their rivals leads them into a second Best Girl Group award.

Best Boy Group: BTS

Imagine thinking anybody besides BTS would be here. Imagine also thinking I'd really evaluate the landscape of boy groups this year. Fun fact: the first time I heard this song was in some random Samsung commercial and I didn't even realize that it was a BTS song. And no, it wasn't because of the English. Like this is the BTS award by now, with this being their sixth win in the category. I'd have loved to give another group a chance but the trio of "Black Swan," "Life Goes On," and "Dynamite" shut down many arguments. The numbers don't lie, and BTS are writing the books themselves.

[Bonus] Best Of 2020

Since I didn't follow Kpop much at all throughout the year, I originally only had 12 tracks on the ballot which wasn't enough to justify a separate post for honorable mentions. Thus, two songs ended up getting cut from the final version which is unfortunate but hey that's the theme of 2020. Also I am once again bitching about the formatting because it won't every align everything properly or the way I want. I will continue to be tilted about this shit as long as Blogger keeps it up. Or I eventually stop writing here...

#10. K/DA - More

Damn if K/DA doesn't release powerful music consistently. Last month I talked about the 1million cover, but this month it's time to talk about the song. And yeah, I'm never getting to that album review... Anyway, Soyeon continues to put in work. Her verse is incredible at setting the tone and pace for the rest of the track. Lexie Liu's Mandarin bridge was also delightful. K/DA have shown their talent at mixing multiple languages seamlessly. What can I say, I'm a sucker for multilingual music, and "More" uses all three extremely well.

#9. Suhyun - Alien

Kinda wild to think that Akdong has been active since 2012, yet we only got a true Suhyun solo release this year. "Alien" is distinct from the usual AKMU sound yet Suhyun utilizes her talent to still give it a typical feel. Her voice glides through the song and is a nice compliment to the more harder-hitting instrumental. Also I didn't know this but their channel literally posts the lyrics in the video description. Suhyun edges out Chungha for representation here. Retro groove drives "Alien" forward, something it shares with the next song coming up.

#8. Seulrene - Naughty

It's a good thing these lists are for music only, otherwise there'd be an Irene-sized can of worms to discuss. Anyway, "Naughty" has that right combination of groovy powerful instrumental, electric choreography, and soothing vocals. Tutting has always been rare in the dances of Kpop so seeing it as the center of "Naughty" is really cool. Of course that's because of the execution by Seulgi and Irene. The chorus is pretty bland, but overall the pieces fit together very well. This track surpasses their other release "Monster" because of its polish.

[Misc] Christmas With Corona

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas despite the absolute insanity that 2020 has been. Enjoy time with family and friends, but not too many of those I hope. Have an IU video because she's one of the best for the holiday spirit.

[Misc] Super Junior Power Rankings

Fuck it. Let's rank all the members of Super Junior. Here we go!

#15. Kibum
Was there anyone else suitable for last place? Kibum has the shortest tenure out of all the members and even when compared to the Super Junior-M exclusive members had the least amount of contributions. He was definitely one of the more popular members in their very early years, but having disappeared since 2009 it's hard to put him anywhere but dead last.

#14. Shindong
Kibum and Shindong are unfortunately the easiest two members that come to mind when discussing Super Junior afterthoughts. Yeah the meme was that he was the fat one, but outside of some dance moments Shindong didn't have much. He sings here and there, raps here and there, but has been utterly mediocre in all of his exploits. Hell, he's probably the weakest of the whole squad in everything but dance.

#13. Zhou Mi
Splicing in some of the Super Junior-M members will feel odd but does give me a rounded 15 members to rank. Zhou Mi was an unknown (more than Henry) when he debuted but it's safe to say that he contributed. His voice was flexible and utilized in all sorts of their music, and even had his own solo debut in 2014. Having actual Chinese members for a subunit aimed specifically for Chinese audiences was an obvious move, and Zhou Mi was a great pickup.

#12. Ryeowook
Oh man, back in the earliest discovery days I used to dislike this dude. More specifically, I thought his voice was mad annoying. But of course as time went on, I realized that Ryeowook just has a gift. His range is his range, and he excels at hitting those glorious high notes. Super Junior was kinda limited in the higher ranges outside of him and maybe Sungmin, so having that coverage was important.

#11. Eunhyuk
If I was doing this ranking back in like 2015, I may have given Eunhyuk the #15 spot. That's because he basically did nothing but dance and have shitty rap moments. And back then I did not give a shit about choreography points. He's one of the legends in the industry when it comes to dancing and as my interest in Kpop matured I realized that visual performance is equally as important as the audio performance, and Eunhyuk do be a danciung machine.

[Review] 2NE1 - Can't Nobody (Throwback)

2NE1 in 2020? Yessir. For the nostalgic selection of a song I haven't reviewed I decided to journey back a decade ago to one of the earliest hits in my Kpop journey. How has 2NE1's legacy held up after a whopping ten years? Let's take a time machine and find out.

Well, even though this was only their second year in the business, 2NE1 had zero shame in announcing who they were and what they're all about. This was the type of brash, in-your-face type of music that this group would become renowned for, and for good reason. They are pretty good at being loud, crazy, and aggressive. The heavy autotune cements the "I don't give a fuck" attitude that CL even echoes later in her second verse.

[Review] 4minute - Hate (Revisited)

Man, the RNG really do be blessing me with revisits while also making me nostalgic and sad as hell. 4minute's "Hate" is up for the December rerun and that title accurately describes how I'm feeling about 2020. Should we be glad it's almost over, or terrified of what is to come? Anyway let's see how wrong (or right) I was about "Hate."

• This title track was spearheaded by the news that the girls would be working with Skrillex. Considering the success of "Crazy." perhaps they wanted to keep pursuing the heavy dance rhythm. 4minute have been stuck in obscurity for a long time prior to "Crazy," so maybe "Hate" can be another good start to putting this group on the rise.

Man, Skrillex is a name I haven't heard in a long time. Granted I listen to exactly zero dubstep so that isn't surprising in any way. Regardless, collabs like this were pretty rare so it was at least some form of cool news. Now I wouldn't have called 4minute "obscure," but they definitely weren't in the highest tier of girl groups prior to the release of "Crazy," and despite some bangers in "I My Me Mine" and "Volume Up," they were never consistent enough to reach the next echelon.

[Misc] The Late Report: November 2020

Man, it seems like this year has gone by both really quickly and slowly at the same time. There's been...a lot going on. But we're not hear to talk about the whims of the world in 2020, we're here to chat about various stuff that happened in November. Unlike the average Thanksgiving plate, this edition won't be so stuffed.

More Of 1million

Ah, 1million. I remember attending KCON and attending their dance workshop and also being in their video during 2017. Good times. Anyway this crew has been pumping out content for a long while now and the quality continues to improve. This time with Soyeon and Miyeon joining them in studio. It's really unfortunate how awkward Miyeon is in her stage presence, as she pales poorly in comparison to Soyeon and all the other dancers. Yoojung is still impeccable, and her movements are easily the highlights of the video (even if her pants aren't...). Listening to this again reminds me that I wanted to review the whole album, but maybe I'll get to that in December.

[Bonus] Best Of Karaoke Songs

November really do be ending soon huh. And I've done jack shit for wiring this month. The good news is that even if I never published another post the remainder of the year, 2020 would still be on the top half of all years regarding number of posts. So maybe we'll set a soft goal of 80 posts before December comes to a close. In theory that should be doable, as we still have two Late Reports, Best Of 2020, Kpop Awards, and then three song reviews next month would put us right at 80. Anyway, here are some of my favorite songs to sing. Treat this as a slightly modified shitpost.

#7. Baekhyun - UN Village

There's a soft spot in my list of favorite songs to sing from the EXO squad because they have consistent quality tracks and simply put, I enjoy singing their tracks. Mostly the slower ballads and the like, as "What Is Love" barely missed the cut. "UN Village" is fucking smooth and I wish I memorized the lyrics to this song. Baekhyun really shines in this element and yeah that's all there is to it.

#6. INFINITE - The Eye

Rarely does an energetic dance number like "The Eye" become a primary karaoke target, but this is a special case. Back in my college dance crew days we covered this song and I was on this team, and I have memories of singing along at practices to help get the timing down. Most people know it's difficult to sing and dance at the same time, and being a part of this song really hammered that thought into my brain. Shoutouts to another song that we covered: Madtown's "Emptiness" that also was similar in terms of the singing plus dancing combination.

[Review] B.A.P - Hands Up (Throwback)

Guess I've been in a TS mood. Well that's not really true considering how little Kpop I've actually listened to over the last few months but whatever. TS Entertainment have run into the ground every group they've been in possession of. After just talking about the disappearance of Sonamoo, there's also B.A.P to talk about. Yongguk and Zelo left TS three months after this release, and then everyone else in the group followed suit. As far as I'm aware there has been no noise from then since. Maybe a few of them have released some individual material, but as we close in on three year mark for their hiatus, any reunion or comeback seems more and more unlikely. As such we'll take a look at "Hands Up," which was their final release as a group under TS.

[Review] Sonamoo - Friday Night (Revisited)

This will be an interesting revisit since the original review was a shortened version. I'm guessing I'll pick apart lines more minutely than other normal revisited pieces, which will potentially let me expand on stuff some more. To be fair the random number generator decided this was the song to go for so you can't call me lazy on this one.

• Sadly, this piece won't be published on a Friday night.
  

But this one will! Let's gooooo.