[Bonus] Best Of 2009

Now that I'm obsessed with these Timeline posts, I want to make another where I see which groups have made the most appearances in my Best Of 20XX series. But in order to do that, I'll have to go back at least one more year. That way, the compilation will cover 2009 through 2017 (this year's edition will be coming out in early December). Plus, writing this post will refresh me and act as a primer for the Best Of 2017. I've taken the liberty of tagging the Best Of 20XX with an additional "20XX" tag if only for easy organization when looking at all my Best Of posts (since they're not simply restricted to these year-end runs).

#12. After School - Because Of You
This song is great at describing 2009 Kpop. The beat, the dance pop, the haircuts (...) and the MV quality all scream 2009. It might not be the best song from that year but "Because Of You" is one of the most iconic, without a doubt. After School is a group that you can really see the evolution of, mostly thanks to the graduation system (that was somewhat legit then). Bekah Raina, and Kahi were the driving forces of After School in this era and the microscopic amount of lines from Jungah, Jooyeon, and Nana highlight that.

#11. Davichi - 8282
Davichi has been killing it for years. I can't imagine that they have been even more underrated back in the day than they are now. "8282" The switcheroo that occurs going into the first chorus is a hilarious wake-up call because you're sitting there thinking this is another traditional Davichi power ballad but instead you could dance during the first chorus. They even include a pseudo-dance break that cuts immediately back to a slower second verse. It's a classic Davichi track through and through.

[Bonus] Best Of 2010

I may have been looking forward to the nostalgia trips of 2011 and 2010, but it never dawned on me how difficult ranking may have been. Forget that 2010 was a tough year - not only did it seem thin on hits, but of course, my memory isn't as efficient going that far back. Great songs were still found, so the list must be made. Either way, this is the last stop in the Best Of series, at least until December rolls around and I do the list for this year!

#12. G.NA - I'll Back Off So You Can Live
G.NA has been mostly a miss during her career - which is quite awkward to say, given her career is basically over or on indefinite hiatus at this point. However, her debut was what caught my attention for being a really pretty song that framed her voice nicely. This song was probably one of the best debuts for a soloist I didn't know about. Unfortunately, subsequent releases from G.NA failed to live up the expectations she set for herself with "I'll Back Off So You Can Live."

#11. 2AM - I Can't Let You Go Even If I Die
Korea loves ballads, and 2AM is one of the best at delivering them. They were the premier ballad idol group and their long history shows their pedigree. "I Can't Let You Go Even If I Die" is a lengthy title, but who cares? The voices of 2AM are beautiful and each member got to shine in their own way. This was the song that really stood out to me in terms of both their individual talent and working together with each other for harmonies.

[Review] 2PM - My House

The boy band train keeps moving forward. The last stop is JYP Entertainment and the beastly 2PM. Last time around they came back with long English title releases in "All Day I Think Of You" and "Come Back When You Hear This Song." Now, we've got "My House," which will prove to be a nice change of pace.

Compared to past releases, "Come Back When You Hear This Song" was playful and almost childlike while "ADTOY" was perhaps overly sexual. "My House" seeks to hit the elusive sweet spot. The middle ground, staying mature, classy, and sexy simultaneously. The song overall doesn't stray from the 2PM formula. Wooyoung and Chansung sing verses, Junsu and Junho share the chorus, Taecyeon raps, and poor Nichkhun is left with support roles. There's nothing new, nothing special. If the song's nature was like any of past 2PM songs this would be a very forgettable song but there are a few distinct differences.

The first is the hilarious chipmunk section after the first chorus. I think it's safe to say that it not only caught everyone off guard, but is a funny break in the song. I don't really know why this was included, but I am not gonna question it. Simply brilliant, though I didn't prefer the use of a rabbit (I understand the fairytale theme, more on that later).

The 2nd is Taecyeon's rap is surprisingly decent. Taecyeon was always considered by many to be the laughingstock of Kpop rappers, myself included. However he does what needs to be done and potrays a sly but aggressive rap here. By the way, Taec, the fancy contact lens in one eye ordeal was already done by T.O.P. You're a little late.

The last is the choreography. It's just more fun this time around, while still maintaining the mature vibe that the song deserves. There's a variety of moves. Grabbing hands, head shaking, hip swaying, groin rotating, 2PM's doing it all. Probably the most "natural" choreography we've seen out of them in a while (looking at you, "I'll Be Back" and "ADTOY"). The "dance" in the final chorus is even freestyle, at least that's what it appears to me. Plenty of variety and some technical work earns the dance a high grade.

In contemporary years, this is the 2nd 2PM video with underlying theme. "CBWYHTS" had the seven deadly sins, and "My House" houses (sorry) some fairytale characters. It's interesting because not only are some members' characters not made very clear, some of the gender roles get reversed in the process. For example, Taecyeon and Chansung are obviously the big bad wolf and a / the beast, respectively. Junsu is either Romeo or Juliet, I'm confused since the balcony scene is usually for Juliet, if I'm not mistaken. Wooyoung is also the witch from Snow White, tempting the lead lady with the apple. But Nichkhun and Junho's roles never get clearly established. I'm not entirely sure who they are supposed to be. Whoever the actress is, though, is very pretty and plays her role pretty well.

On paper, there is nothing special about "My House." Standard 2PM song structure continues to waste Junsu's glorious vocal potential, while Chansung's voice hasn't progressed in years, and poor Nichkhun gets relegated to awkward English bridges. All that said, the dance is a highlight of the song, the MV is another creative and substantial video, and Taecyeon's improvement is evident. Perhaps I haven't really enjoyed the past 2PM releases since the days of "Without U" or something, but "My House" is a catchy and welcome addition to the 2PM library.

[ Overall: 85 / 100 ]

[Review] 2PM - Come Back When You Hear This Song

Vocals: 8 / 10

I’m very impressed. For a song that didn’t offer too much variety or have interesting happenings, 2PM sound really synchronized for the first time in a long time. It’s surprising, since essentially all the vocalists are in the relative range of the others, you’d expect more songs to have a similar synchronous sound like U-Kiss, but the last song that I felt this sort of harmony dates back to “Again & Again” when Jaebeom was still part of the group. I wanted more of Junsu (I refuse to call him Minjun or Jun.K or whatever name he uses now) but still pretty good.

Appearance: 8 / 10

Junsu looks awesome and Junho looks awesome. They’re easily the best looking members of 2PM. Wooyoung and Nichkhun can look good too but these hairstyles don’t really do them any justice. Chansung and Taecyeon will never look good without short hair. That’s basically a fact. Everyone’s got fairly standard outfits so nothing is too obnoxious, and nothing obnoxious is a godsend from those horrid outfits of “I’ll Be Back”…

Dance: 6 / 10

For the first time in basically forever, I felt that this dance simply didn’t match the song or instrumentals at all. It just seemed weird watching the dance with the vocals. Maybe it was partly from the awkward movements, or the seemingly random individual headbanging / rocking, but everything about this choreography just didn’t seem right. Ehh, I didn’t want something as energetic or crazy as “Hands Up”, and certainly not something as stupid as “I’ll Be Back”, but something was just off about the dance, and it makes it weird to watch.

Rap: 6 / 10

This was one of the forgettable moments for Taecyeon. His voice is too high for it to be enjoyable in any means, JYP should utilize his lower register more. Oh well. The super serious words at the end “I’m sorry, and I love you” were not only random but out of place, too. The rest of the rap is fast paced and building but the spoken words just cut through any momentum. Standard Taecyeon is standard. At the very least, he was the only one rapping this time.

Music Video: 9 / 10

I enjoyed this music video. The use of the seven deadly sins did a good job of painting the overall picture of the MV / story, even though I didn’t even notice “pride” at the beginning on the necklace and thought the video was gonna get racywith Chansung and “lust”. It was neat to see the sins intertwined with the members and them being active in “fixing the past” per se. Speaking of lust, what about that one girl sharing six guys hmm? Oh well. Cute and ordinary sets, and the solo shots were actually directly linked to the other scenes which I liked. It’s a good MV fitting the song (read: not the dance).

~

Overall: 74 / 100

Holy crap, 2013 is turning into the year of incredibly long (English) song titles… “Gone Not Around Any Longer”, “Come Back When You Hear This Song”, “The Reason We Broke Up”, etc. and don’t forget the other 2PM title track “All Day I Think Of You”, a song that got abbreviated for Youtube. All in all it’s a good song but lacks that sort of edge other big comeback names have like “Venus” or “Keep Your Head Down”. It’s good work by JYP / 2PM but I think something bigger could have been possible.

[Bonus] Best Of Rappers: Part II

Jaebeom - 10 Points Out Of 10

Listing someone of 2PM background here is laughable but this was a different place, a different era so bear with me. 2PM’s debut had flashes of brilliance, from the various choreography to the hilariously crafted music video. Hell, even Chansung’s stuff wasn’t that bad. The attention was of course on Jaebeom and I think Jaebeom did the best job out of everyone (save Nichkhun’s all English line) with his light but energetic rap. It’s a shame the 2PM controversy happened and Jay branched into more vocal-oriented work since I think his rapping highly overplays his singing.

Eunhyuk - Sorry Sorry Answer

Even more ridiculous is the thought of putting Super Junior here, but I have to give credit where credit is due, and Eunhyuk (and Donghae)’s work in “Sorry Sorry Answer”. The R&B rendition of “Sorry Sorry” was really good, powered by Kyuhyun, Yesung, Ryeowook, and Yoo Young Jin. Donghae and Eunhyuk’s casual rap was smooth and complimented the remix very well. I can’t say the same for the English pronunciation, though. A lack of presentation from the other members was disappointing, and it’s really just a remix but the rap certainly brought something extra.

Miryo - Sixth Sense

Don’t worry, CL is not alone. Miryo rings up the other slot with her work in “Sixth Sense”. Throw in a few foreign words and she sounds awesome. The rap is absolutely badass, aggressive, feisty, and right in line with the nature of the song. The triage of wonderful explosive vocals from JeA, Gain, and Narsha, with Miryo’s aggressive rapping and the artful music video certainly made “Sixth Sense” one of the more memorable Brown Eyed Girls releases.

Zelo - Warrior

I’m aware B.A.P has released a year’s worth of content already, but “Warrior” is a standout because it’s a debut, ridiculously catchy, and impressive for his age. It’s so good and infamous now that Zelo paid homage to it in later release “Power”. Yongguk’s rap was harsh and forceful, but Zelo’s was youthful and quick which provided solid complimentary pieces for each other. As I mentioned in the song’s review, the highlights of the song were easily the rapping and dancing.

[Bonus] Best Of Vocalists: Wild Cards

I originally made the fourth category a “support” one, referencing vocalists best at transitions, or “gluing” the group so to speak. Afterward I would throw in a few honorable mentions, and this wild card group is a combination. Not only are some of the singers fantastic at transition, I also find a few underrated, or just very unique, they deserve their own group.

Dara is often scoffed at when talking about vocals because she’s not really that standout live or studio, but I think she’s overlooked in terms of her transitional voice. She works the bridges and seams really well in 2NE1’s music, something I don’t see too much of. Dara is the glue voice, holding the explosive Bom, strong CL, and young Minzy’s voices altogether to make 2NE1’s sound.

Narsha reserves a spot for Brown Eyed Girls here. I really like Gain’s voice, but it’s at best a supplement of IU’s voice (most evident in “Bloom”). Narsha has…an innocent voice, which is certainly a curious quality to have for someone who is 31. She has good control and the consistency is appealing, in contrast to the different appealing like say her wacky appearances, outfits, and personality. Overall she adds another pleasant BEG voice to the mix.

It certainly feels a little funny to be putting IU here, but I think it’s where she belongs amongst the other categories. Not quite the powerhouse vocalist or the evident leader, but unique enough to share her voice across ballads and pop alike. IU’s voice has a fluid air around it, instantly transforming anything she sings into a “IU-ified” version, whether it’s her covers of “Sorry Sorry” and “Gee”, it’s a lively thing that definitely sounds IU.

Suzy is the younger successor or equivalent to Dara, At first listen it’s nothing spectacular but she easily grows on you and soon her vocal work in choruses and transition is almost as good as Dara. On a side note, Suzy possesses some of the best English out of all 32 featured vocalists who aren’t fluent speakers. Suzy’s voice is innocent (“Love Alone”) and very lively (“Classic”).

Yoseob’s a member of B2ST which is…a more dance and rap-oriented group than anything. Yoseob is the vocal carry of the group, in similar fashion to Sistar’s Hyorin and Secret’s Ji Eun. His fluid voice moves from one line to another, standing out from the rest of B2ST or in solos like “Caffeine” or backing his member’s voices when they sing.

I consider Junsu (I refuse to call him Jun. K or whatever he changed his name to) the most underrated out of this set. He has this mysterious vibrating quality in his voice. It makes it appear shaky during long notes but it’s really a good “addition” to his voice, so to speak. Like Yoseob, Junsu helps liven up the vocal quality of 2PM, and has stepped up significantly post-Jaebeom.

Onew has a truly distinct voice, and only loses to Jonghyun in the vocals department because his range is lower / smaller, and some awkward sound that arises through certain melodies. It’s weird, because Jonghyun’s voice is similar but with less apparent awkwardness. Now, that sort of thing is mainly subjective but it’s worth noting when talking about SHINee’s lead vocalists. Onew excels in baritone ranges (“One Year Later”) and can sound fairly good in the louder electronic music (“Juliette”), but most certainly out of place in others (“Lucifer”).

Jinwoon’s known for his role in 2AM, where he’s typically a quality support voice while Seulong, Changmin, and Jo Kown do the bulk of work. However, recent solo expeditions and OST work like “Now Or Never” and “You Walking Towards Me” have shown that he is more than capable of providing an explosive yet charming voice. Hopefully, JYP / Big Hit will integrate Jinwoon’s ability into 2AM’s music in the future (and I pray that it not be rap-related).

[Review] JYP, 2PM, Miss A - Classic

Vocals: 9 / 10

I will always give credit to JYP because he doesn’t just interact with his stars through writing and composing music, he’ll also perform, too. He, along with Wooyoung and Suzy create a soothing trio of soft vocals, furthered by the excellent strings / piano instrumental. While a little on the higher side for JYP, he does a good job in transitions between the verses and chorus. I’ve not been too much a fan of Wooyoung’s voice but he definitely does well in this supportive role, and Suzy’s chorus and short adlibs are both lively and lovely. Suzy’s English is also solid, thankfully, since there is of course a handful of English. Excellent work.

Appearance: 8 / 10

At a glance, everything falls into place. Nobody is too wacky, or stands out, following the setting and theme. I wasn’t really a fan of Wooyoung’s bright blonde, but overall the cut doesn’t look bad on him. Coupled with the athletic wear, he looks just like a typical high school / university student. Suzy is of course perfect. I actually thought her face looked a little chubby, which is something I like. Being too skinny freaks me out. Goodness, Taecyeon, please go back to short hair. Taecyeon’s part of that illustrious group of male visuals who should never have long hair: Siwon, T.O.P, Yunho to name a few others. JYP and Chansung earn a bonus point I guess?

Rap: 7 / 10

I’ve seen better, and I’ve certainly seen worse out of Taecyeon. While the vocals were soft and complimentary, Taecyeon’s low harsh voice cuts through the bridge with his lines. Using him to open and close the song with the same line was also a solid touch. But oh my, using “plastic” to rhyme with “classic” has got to earn a place on the list of “Worst Engrish” ever, alongside “Sexy, free, and single I’m ready too, bingo.”

Music Video: 10 / 10

Let me first note for the people who criticized the acting in the MV, that I did not find the acting bad at all. And truth be told, the fact there is actual acting in a music video is already leaps and bounds ahead of the current metagame of MV’s. The last time I remembered relevant acting in music videos was JYJ’s “In Heaven” (Song Jihyo <3). The “Romeo and Juliet” basic plot was certainly well executed, and there were actually many nice touches that I did not notice until a few more watches. The party in which Wooyoung and Suzy meet for the first time is the celebration of the engagement between Suzy and Chansung. The connections between all the characters. Taecyeon decides early, bringing Suzy the running shoes for her to GTFO. The quality of the story being memorable for the characters to watch it together again and again. It’s a lovely music video.

~

Overall: 85 / 100

I didn’t want to make the title “JYP, Taecyeon, Wooyoung, Suzy” since that’d be too lengthy, but in the end it’s a solid collaboration effort for Reebok and puts a certain SM collab work to shame. The vocals are standout and the story, while overused, is more than a reason in itself for such a nice music video. Taecyeon’s rap is okay, I guess they had to have him rap, otherwise what else would he do? Let’s not use the word “plastic” ever again though.