[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] The Late Report: October 2020

Mamamoo - Dingga

It's fucking infuriating how this new Blogger won't let me make my normal alignments without fucking up the spacing between sections. I don't understand why it's this bad, I really don't. Anyway, happy Halloween I guess? Ain't nobody should be out and about given the pandemic but hey people are stupid (just like Blogger). No candy from me, just some videos and songs to go over as October draws to a close.

Starting us off is Mamamoo's "Dingga," which is...something. It's not their greatest work vocals-wise, and it's also not their most fun release. It's essentially "Hip" but with a more bright splash of paint over it, topped off with an overall less impressive choreography to boot. The most disturbing thing about this track is Hwasa's apparent lack of eyebrows. Not a good look. With Red Velvet's controversy and Mamamoo stumbling a bit here, is it once again time for Twice to take the crown?

[Bonus] Best Of 2019: Honorable Mentions

Christmas is almost here and that means the Best Of 2019 are also almost here. But before that, let's check out some of the songs that almost found their spot on that prestigious list. Some of these songs will be very familiar, as will some of the final set that drops on Christmas day. Nonetheless they are all here for a reason: quality tracks with a plethora of positives. Might not necessarily be the best of the remainder (when is it ever) but all are worth mentioning.

I'm actually going to go out of my way and list some of the songs I've previously talked about throughout this year. Since this is not a valid strategy for the actual Best Of 2019 post I'm utilizing it here. The leading lady of this group has to be Twice and "Feel Special." If these were ranked, their best work would surely have been #11. Such a fantastic dance number with many boons and a refined mature sound that they have been working toward all this time. Jihyo is god tier, and the members make solid contributions paired with a blessed instrumental. Had this been any other year it'd have been good enough for a higher placing but the competition in 2019 is super tough.

[Bonus] The Late Report: September 2019

October is already here, yikes. Theoretically I should be able to match post count from last year but with me you're never too sure. Nonetheless, we move into a new month and that means a new edition of The Late Report. Here's what September had to harvest.

Twice - Feel Special

Let's get the obvious one out of the way first. Twice's "Feel Special" is definitely their best song to date. Like I mentioned in the previous post, there's many things to like about this comeback. The vocals, the setup, and upon further review the choreography is super clean too. The evolution of their style over the years has reached its peak with "Feel Special," and it appears all too likely that Twice have made their position on the Best Of 2019 clear: they'll be there in December when it's all said and done.

[Bonus] Best Of 2017

At last we have arrived. The finale of 2017. No more teasing, let's cut straight to my top 10 songs of the year.

#10. Akdong Musician - Dinosaur

Akdong Musician have been a sleeper pick all these years. They release solid music and I've casually glanced over them time and time again, but no more. "Dinosaur" was AKMU's first take on the EDM genre and it's a mighty successful one at that. I like how the song opens with guitar for ten seconds before sucker punching you into reality. In the last couple of years plagued by songs with disappointing climaxes, "Dinosaur" avoids this mistake with a brilliant break-chorus hybrid. The first time I heard this song was through speakers so I didn't even know that Suhyun was actually singing those notes (starting at 1:42). Her voice is incredible and she'll be a superstar vocalist for many years to come. Also helpful is that Chanhyuk's rapping is absent. Those were always my least favorite parts of AKMU songs. "Dinosaur" is brilliant and I hope they return to some of this stuff once Chanhyuk finishes military service.

#9. Sistar - Lonely

In a year where girl groups disbanded left and right, it felt good to see at least one end their group career peacefully. This is as beautiful and solemn a goodbye as you'll see in Kpop. Their voices are pristine, and while Soyu and Hyorin's abilities are of no surprise, Dasom turns in her strongest performance yet. Bora also shines with a powerful rap that helped erase her mediocrity of the previous few years. These solid factors make this breakup all the more painful. This was as well-rounded of an effort since "Alone," and off the heels of "I Like That" one thought Sistar would be returning to form. But alas. The fact they got to perform this song live makes their finale all the more bittersweet. God, I miss Sistar so much.

[Review] Hi Suhyun - I'm Different (feat. Bobby)

Suhyun of Akdong Musician and Lee Hi of Lee Hi join together for this YG subunit release. Lee Hi had been inactive for a while so it was nice to see her return to the stage / studio with this song.

While the subunit name "Hi Suhyun" wasn't very clever, the actual pairing was. Lee Hi has a very rich voice and in contrast, Suhyun has a really clear and light voice and they match well. One of the true markings of a good collaboration is that neither voice overpowers the other, and that both members have proportionate line distribution (obviously). Hi Suhyun scores high on both marks, and combined with the quality combination of both voices, and there was little room to fail.

Unfortunately, YG managed to find a way to do so with having the prechorus in rap form. Perhaps it's not completely traditional rap but they're certainly not singing and they certainly would've been better off without rapping. Like I get it, they're cute and sassy but this is definitely not their cup of tea, and it just might've been better if Bobby was doing the prechorus for the girls.

Speaking of, Bobby shows up for a short bit and is pretty solid. I first saw him in Epik High's "Born Hater" and he really impressed for such a young one / rookie and he kept up the good work here. Surely Bobby saved Lee Hi and Suhyun because if not for his actual good rap, I'd have marked them down a ton for the prechorus.

The MV is adorable and compliments the song and lyrics. There isn't much to talk about, since the MV speaks for itself. Poor girls.

"I'm Different" is different in many ways. The song is light and catchy, the vocal pair is really strong, and the MV is absolute quality. Bobby's rapping is good, and the girls' rapping is not. Still, it's something I didn't really expect out of YG and pleasantly exceeded expectations.

[ Score: 85 / 100 ]