[Review] FIESTAR - Mirror (Revisited)

Not gonna lie I get excited when working on a review revisit. That's because the suspense of using random.org to pick the song gets the adrenaline pumping through my husk of a body. Anyway FIESTAR won the sweepstakes for September's revisited with their track "Mirror," which was their second to last comeback before disbandment. Surprisingly, this was their second worst peak placing on the Gaon Digital Chart, while the album tied for their career best on the weekly album chart. Anyway let's see what kind of glasses we see through "Mirror" now that four years have passed.

• I'm not sure if this is just me, but the instrumental slaps you across the face with similar key notes to "You're Pitiful." While not as delicate, they are used more aggressively but eventually after enough listens I can't really hear the comparisons anymore. Anyway "Mirror" is very much the daughter of "You're Pitiful." From the sombre overtones, soft singing, and the visual styles of the MV, definitely pays homage to FIESTAR's best song to date.

Too true! While the tempo of the instrumental is much slower, no one can deny that "Mirror" is the clear successor of "You're Pitiful," and I think the distinction is important. A successor takes the motifs and expands on it, whereas a clone is just the same concepts with very minimal changes. Also I misspelled "somber" ha!

[Bonus] Best Of B-Sides: Part II

It's been nearly a year since the first Best Of B-Sides. There's really no excuse that this shouldn't be a more recurring series. In fact, I'm going to aim for a new installment of these every month. On top of that, I'm going to make any artist that shows up be ineligible for future posts. This will ensure that everything stays fresh in terms of the groups (or soloists!) and their music. After all the purpose of these posts is to highlight some music that might be overlooked or less popular. Diversity in representation is something I strive for here and that applies to both the groups and their music.

FIESTAR - Turn Off The Light

At this point, "remember when ___" has got to be the most typed phrase on my blog. FIESTAR have been out of the spotlight for so long that I almost forgot about the other songs on their "Black Label" EP. "Turn Off The Light" is a great track that mixes dance and R&B elements together. The high tempo means a good choreography could've been coupled with it. Then top it all off with a fierce Yezi rap and it's no surprise this song is splendid on the ears. If not for the masterpiece that was "You're Pitiful" this could very well have been the title track.

Red Velvet - Zoo

If there's (only) one thing to rely on Red Velvet for, it is their constant string of sweet instrumentals. The "Red Summer" mini album was no different, and "Zoo" has one of many more exciting instrumentals. The animal noise mimicry is abundant and fitting, then there's Seulgi's gorilla scream which is certainly...something. All of the songs on this EP play to Seulgi and Wendy's vocal strengths, and also lets the rest of the crew play support rather well. Irene's starting to get a little better in the rap department, so we'll see how that develops in their newest album.

[Bonus] Best Of 2010-2015

Now that we've looked at some of the best songs of each year for the past 6 years, it's time to look at the bigger picture: who will come out on top overall? To find out the best song(s) from 2010-2016, only the top 3 of each year will be candidates. After all, it would be unfair (and also too much work, admittedly) to look at the top 5, or each full list. Anyway, if you want a refresher, here are the candidates.

2010: Taeyang - I Need A Girl, Rainbow - A, IU - Good Day
2011: Big Bang - Love Song, Davichi - Don't Say Goodbye, 2NE1 - Ugly
2012: Girls' Generation-TTS - Twinkle, Big Bang - Blue, Ailee - Heaven
2013: Girl's Day - Expectation, SPICA - Tonight, 9MUSES - Wild
2014: AOA - Miniskirt, Girl's Day - Something, Soyu & Junggigo - Some
2015: INFINITE - Bad, FIESTAR - You're Pitiful, EXO - Call Me Baby

I'll only list the top 10 for simplicity sake, and because I've talked about many of these songs a number of times already, the conversation will revolve around why one song is better (or worse) than another. It's another simple piece of writing as I prepare for another week of midterms and the new Twice review.

[Bonus] Best Of 2015 Revisited

The finale to the Best 201X Revisited is probably premature, considering we're only barely halfway through 2016, but I committed to it and wanted this one written before anything like a Best Of 2011 so here's another look. Unlike other installments, I'm pretty satisfied with my 2015 set (and part of that is certainly due to the shorter time between revisions) so there are relatively few changes across the board. With the said, it'll likely prove difficult to write anything substantial about the songs that I didn't already say before in December. Still, we'll give it a go and wrap up this series today.

#12. Big Bang - Loser (-2)
Original: 9MUSES - Hurt Locker
Simplicity is key, and Big Bang capitalize on that statement with the quiet and calming track that is very much the successor to "Blue." However, while no one can question the quality, it simply loses out to other songs based on their general noise and energy. When you need some relaxing tunes, or want to emo out for a bit, "Loser" has your back. "Loser" falls to 12th not because it's a loser - it is very much a winner, but because it's the most boring song on the list.

#11. Mad Clown - Fire (NEW)
Original: IU - Twenty Three
Honestly, Mad Clown has some transcendent stuff. He has a pretty unique flow and his voice can sometimes be grating, but it's never really turned me away from his music. With "Stupid In Love" having placed him on the radar, Mad Clown joined forces this time with the less known Jinsil for "Fire." Jinsil has a sultry seductive voice, which is a pleasant counter to Mad Clown's explosive rapping. By all means this song should've catapulted both into stardom but that hasn't happened quite yet.

[Review] FIESTAR - Apple Pie

It's only been 2 months since "Mirror," so in surprising and unexpected news, FIESTAR would be returning to the girl group landscape with "Apple Pie." With a title like that, I imagine we aren't going to be seeing much of the style of "You're Pitiful" and "Mirror," which is a shame. They owned the darker concept, especially considering not many other groups chose to be straight-up sexy in 2015. Still, a change of pace is a nice breath of fresh air, and as long as they release good music I've got nothing to complain about.

Looks like FIESTAR were going for the cuter route after all. The girls definitely sound sweet with their proclamations and this is a pretty safe type of song to be releasing. The key ingredient in "Apple Pie" is that Linzy (finally) gets to shine. She participates in all aspects of the song from the verses to chorus to bridge, similar to how Choa just took over "Good Luck" on her own. Even if the singing here doesn't showcase her potential to the fullest, this alleviates the pain from watching Linzy's talent get so underused in past songs.

[Review] FIESTAR - Mirror

FIESTAR join the girl group fray with their comeback since "You're Pitiful." This is a key release in the group's development. After the success of "You're Pitiful," they need to keep the momentum in their favor. Yezi is responsible for a huge portion of their potential. She impressed the world on Unpretty Rapstar, and her solo debut has some excellent material. Will she be able to carry them to greater heights?

I'm not sure if this is just me, but the instrumental slaps you across the face with similar key notes to "You're Pitiful." While not as delicate, they are used more aggressively but eventually after enough listens I can't really hear the comparisons anymore. Anyway "Mirror" is very much the daughter of "You're Pitiful." From the sombre overtones, soft singing, and the visual styles of the MV, definitely pays homage to FIESTAR's best song to date. But the offspring song varies in significant aspects.

Let's talk line distribution. Jei is the poster child of FIESTAR for sure, but the amount at which she overshadowed the other members was kind of ridiculous. Thankfully, "Mirror" is much kinder to everyone else given the rather inexcusable distributions of songs past. At least, more specifically, Cao Lu isn't left with nothing anymore, which is always a step in the right direction. The members all seem to match each other in vocal output, too (I consider this a good thing even if Linzy's skills aren't fully used). This chorus is definitely the highlight of the song, with her and Hyemi's crystal clear voices ringing evenly against the instrumental. The bridge is nothing to write home about, but it's nice to see that the final chorus was split between everyone (except Yezi). Speaking of, Yezi gets adequate (appropriate) time in the spotlight in this track. She has a lengthy rap in each verse, though she doesn't show up anywhere else. I really liked how she was used in the last chorus of "You're Pitiful," adding another layer to the singing with her rap and was hoping it'd make another appearance here, but oh well.

The MV gives me "Black Swan" vibes, which is to say, simple sets used to show off the girls being sad, while being coupled with choreography shots for eye candy. They're trapped in a house of mirrors, looking gorgeous the whole while. Not much else to say. The choreography is also subtle and seductive. Nothing too flashy, but not to the point where it's boring, either. While there aren't any chairs, jackets, or male backup dancers this time around, "Mirror" provides a more simplistic visual in terms of the dancing, which is appropriate given the nature of the song.

"Mirror" is to "You're Pitiful" as EXID's "Ah Yeah" was to "Up & Down." The backbone was unchanged and both songs are clear winners. However, unlike "Ah Yeah," I'm not sold if "Mirror" is better than the predecessor. Visually speaking, it is, because Jei doesn't have 80% of the video content, and I like the more simple dance better. But vocally speaking, it's not as interesting (especially the bridge), and while Yezi's double rap is good, both combined don't measure up to the quality in "You're Pitiful." In the end though, it's a good song that feeds off what made "You're Pitiful" so great, and that's worth applauding any day.

[ Overall: 85 / 100 ]

[Bonus] 2015 Kpop Awards: Part II

Best Song: INFINITE - Bad

I considered making this part excluding all the songs in the Best Of 2015, but then again this wouldn't be the "best" song, would it. So here's "Bad" again. Sparing any repetition from when I first talked about it, I'll keep it to a short and simple version: excellent vocals, standard Infinite choreography, and a killer instrumental are the trifecta able to carry this song to the top. It's a very impressive track with plenty of appeal. If Infinite can keep producing content like this, they are going to go very, very far.

Best Music Video: Psy - Daddy

Psy came back this year, and while nothing seems capable of capturing the magic that was "Gangnam Style," he is still able to drop hilarious music videos. "Daddy" is all sorts of weird and funny and leagues ahead of the competition. Superimposing Psy's face on a variety of characters was definitely too good to pass up, and the cameo game is still strong, with CL and Ha Jiwon making appearances (and maybe others that I missed). Won't comment on the song, but "you be my curry, I'll be your rice" is one of the simultaneously best and worst English line to ever be used in a Korean song. Oh, and the buildup in this was what Big Bang's "Bang Bang Bang" should have been.

Best Live Performance: Mamamoo - Mr. Ambiguous (Medley)

Mamamoo certainly know how to rock the stage(s), and this performance is more than enough to show why. The dresses are sparkly, though I question the silly "Mamamoo" text and GIANT LETTER emblazoned across each member's top. Wheein is at her best, and fangirl reactions to Hwasa are all you really need for the visual game. Of course the real treat starts at 1:37 where they string about a dozen songs together for a fun little medley. You've got rival girl group songs from Sistar and AOA, a few Big Bang songs, and even nods to "Gangnam Style" and..."Um Oh Ah Yeah?" They also incorporated brief moments of the respective dances, too, which was pretty awesome. All in all, this was a fantastic performance that reached as far as it could go, despite being just a regular stage.

Best Vocalist: Taeyeon / Best Rapper: Yezi / Best Visual: Nana

These are pretty self-explanatory. Taeyeon is as established as any girl group vocalist and did more work than Hyorin this year (though if Hyorin had a super strong showing in "Shake It" I may have reconsidered). Yezi is the iconic breakout idol of 2015, with Unpretty Rapstar being a good place for her this year and a few new tracks to go along with. Lastly, there's Nana. Need I say more? And you're right, I don't really care about boy groups that much. But for what it's worth, male vocal would probably be Kyuhyun, male rapper would probably be Rap Monster, and male visual would probably be Siwon.

That's it for the first ever edition of the Kpop Awards on my blog, as well as 2015. Here's to bigger, better, and brighter things in 2016. Happy New Year everyone!

[Bonus] Best Of 2015 (#5-#1)

Merry Christmas! As you can see, I didn't manage to get the final set out before today but that's alright. Let's wrap up the Best Of 2015 with a list that may leave you surprised, because I sure was. Also, ignore the inconsistent image-to-ranking relation, t'was a mistake but all is well. Without further ado, here are my picks for the very best songs in 2015.

5. 4minute - Crazy

Praise everything holy because 4minute finally ended their slump of mediocre and terrible title tracks when they released "Crazy." Keeping with the namesake, the pace and energy of the song are indeed pretty crazy. The dancing is fierce and has character, while Hyuna and Jiyoon command control with their explosive rapping verses. The other members do struggle a little whether due to lackluster ability (Sohyun), awkward sections (Gayoon), or both (Jihyun), but when all is said and done, 4minute have a track that can compete with "I My Me Mine," Considering that was 5 years ago, and everything they've released since then was disappointing, it's awesome seeing them with such a powerful and addicting dance number.

4. f(x) - 4 Walls

In a similar vein, f(x) had been on a downfall. With Sulli leaving, many fans wondered if this group would spiral into obscurity. The group then proceeded to drop the "4 Walls" album which is one of the better studio album of the year. With "4 Walls" leading the pack, f(x) showed that they certainly didn't need Sulli around to drop a very smooth dance track. "4 Walls" has an instrumental that worms into your head, a simple and effective rap, and a breakout vocal performance from Krystal. You don't really need much else. The bridge did cause the song to take a little stumble, but it's nothing major, and this does appear to be an unfortunate trend among some of this year's best songs (Chanhyuk's rap in "Thinking About You," Jihyun's bridge in "Crazy," the bridge in "Twenty Three" to name a few). Still, "4 Walls" has the pleasure of being in the final 4.

3. FIESTAR - You're Pitiful

To be honest, not many girl groups went down the sexy route this year. Basically all the new debuts were channeled down the cute aisle, and even veterans like Sistar and the rising AOA kept it pretty simple. FIESTAR therefore handily take the sexiest girl group title this year with "You're Pitiful." You want fanservice? That's the whole video. The choreography was sensual and used both male backup dancers and chairs (interesting combo). This song jumpstarted Yezi's rise to prominence(?), with a heartful rap that eventually led to more Yezi rapping goodness (still waiting for that new album!). "You're Pitiful" also had one of the more decorated videos, with food thrown everywhere, a man putting on lipstick, and plenty of Jei eye candy.

2. EXO - Call Me Baby

We've said this before, and we'll say this again. EXO may lose a member every year, but their music seems to take everything in stride. In fact, "Call Me Baby" is enough to surpass the sensational "Growl" in my eyes (ears). The track is 100% dance power personified. The choreography is slick and super impressive when you see how synchronized they are, yet still has all the crotch-grabbing hype for fangirls to...well, fangirl over. A couple of questionable moves here and there but that goes for pretty much every dance nowadays. EXO's vocal line is still alive and very strong, and it's practically unfair to have Chen on your team. Still, Baekhyun and D.O more than hold their own, and everyone else isn't dead weight. After having previously mentioned that many songs in 2015 have bad bridges, "Call Me Baby" is a fundamentally perfect song.

1. INFINITE - Bad

For years girls and girl groups had monopolized the very best songs. Big Bang grabbed top 3 status in 2012, and Epik High (though they aren't exactly "idols") in 2014. Elsewhere there wasn't much male representation (and c'mon, one year there was Psy on the list). But in 2015 we have a top 2 that's exclusively boy groups. Tides of change? Perhaps, but the straightforward answer is that "Bad" is really really really good. Everything I just said EXO in "Call Me Baby" goes for Infinite, too, and maybe even double. They've been running this signature theme for many years, and they've still got it. While arguably not as sound as "Call Me Baby," "Bad" has some other strengths that go underappreciated. Obviously the first would be the 360 version of the MV which would be neat to see used further for mainstream groups. The strings of the track are so disgustingly good I'd blindly call "Bad's" instrumental the best of the year. There may be no Chen equivalent in the group, but Woohyun and Sunggyu are a better combo than Chen and anyone else in EXO. All in all, this is a superstar track that did not go unnoticed.

[Bonus] Girl Group Power Rankings (#10-#6)

Alright, here we go: Girl Group Power Rankings. I'll drop 12 girl groups I believe are at the top of the ladder. Since this is the debut iteration, the rankings are all new, though you can reference the 2015 Girl Group Radar piece I wrote back in December. With the summer season ending, this is a good time to catchup with all these groups and find out where they stand. Rankings are primarily based on music, whether it's group releases, solo projects, collaborations, etc. etc. All of that is fair game. Then of course you throw in some visuals, variety appearances, bias / preference, and we'll find out which girl groups can call themselves queen for now. We're keeping things recent though, so no major throwbacks in these rankings. Of course, it's impossible for me to get to everything so some groups/ data will be more limited than others but that's something we all have to deal with. Reminder that this is a personal list / opinion!

Honorable Mention: GFriend
I don't know about you, but if I was a rookie girl group getting "criticized" for being similar to Girls' Generation back when they debuted, I'd be pretty happy and content. Honestly, GFriend's music isn't really my style. It's very much like A-Pink in the cute pop alley, but there are key factors giving GFriend this spot and not say another rookie group. The choreography is damn impressive, no questions asked, "Glass Bead" and "Me Gustas Tu" are decent enough songs in their own right, but the choreography empowers the song to greater heights and really brings out the performance ability of the group. Another reason their title tracks impress are the vocal carries. The energy in both songs is already at a good level, but Eunha and Yuju's high notes and adlibs are both powerful and clean. Considering they're so young, they will likely mature into superstar vocalists. From a performance perspective, this group may be the most impressive of the year.

Honorable Mention: FIESTAR
FIESTAR was one of those groups that was always under the radar until the sexy concepts rolled in. Continuing with, "You're Pitiful" was an excellent way for the group to start 2015, having placed 4th in my reviews after April (only 3 other songs since have tied or scored better). The MV was artful if a little weird, but Linzy, Yezi, and Jei carry the song through vocals, rap, and performance, respectively. FIESTAR stock will rise a bit over the next couple months as Yezi participates in Unpretty Rapstar 2, and she is probably the member I look forward to seeing on that show the most. She has a talent that will surprise plenty of audiences who haven't heard of her. 4minute competes heavily for this spot on the rankings, what with the incredibly strong release of "Crazy," along with rumors of Jiyoon joining Unpretty Rapstar 2, but with Hyuna's weak solo comeback, I will gracefully give FIESTAR the spot.

10. Wonder Girls
Legacy is important, so when a group once thought to be gone forever returns to glory, people everywhere rejoice. That's what fans of Wonder Girls have experienced over the last month with their return and the "Reboot" studio album. The new lineup is perhaps equal to the previous one, trading out Sohee for Sunmi is an upgrade, but on the flipside Sunye brought a lot of depth in terms of the singing, something which Yenny can't really replicate. I haven't gotten around to the album yet, but I hope Yubin gets some singing lines. Nobody should be subject to "Bora syndrome" ever, so the sooner we cure everyone the better. As one of the most successful groups of their time, and being able to stand up to Girls' Generation, Wonder Girls' comeback is heartwarming to both old and new fans alike.

9. 9MUSES
It's only appropriate 9MUSES find themselves at #9. They've catapulted themselves after a dormant 2014 with "Drama" and "Hurt Locker." While the former was a rather safe play, the latter was the superstar summer track that lived up to expectations set upon the group after the very successful whirlwind cycle of "Dolls," "Wild," "Gun," and "Glue" in 2013. The group has suffered through a multitude of roster changes since debut, so pray that they will continue on without further problems / hindrances. The year off really hurt their momentum, but let's not focus so much on the bad. 9MUSES is probably the best-looking group as a whole (Kyungri sure comes to mind). They also have Erin, a top 3 girl group rapper, as well as Hyuna and Hyemi, consistent vocalists whose abilities are unfortunately underrated. If they can go into next year with no issues, they'll be one step closer to getting back to the level they were in 2013.

8. T-ARA
While T-ARA also aren't perfect in terms of roster consistency, what puts them above 9MUSES is that they have a previous year of content to piggyback off. Let's not forget that Jiyeon made an awesome solo debut last year, and "Sugar Free" was one of the best dance tracks of 2014. The "So Good" mini wasn't terribly exciting but it was fairly balanced with what songs it did have, Included was a Chinese version of "So Crazy" which was predominantly in Korean. That was confusing. Anyway Eunjung also made her solo debut, while quiet was also very pretty. In their current trajectory, I'd expect a Soyeon solo debut and some more Chinese activities next year. T-ARA is well-rounded in talent, just a shame their tragic scandals have yet to fully recover in the eyes of the public.

7. EXID
Ah yeah, ah yeah, ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah! The EXID train continues to move forward. Following the revived success of "Up & Down," EXID delivered "Ah Yeah" in spring 2015. The "Ah Yeah" EP has some goodies inside, notably "With Out U" which is one of this year's best B-sides, awkward-looking title aside. The roster is not without star power, either. EXID is home to LE, a standout rapper with plenty on her resume and ferocious delivery to match. Solji is incredibly overlooked with her powerful vocals but has made up for it with appearances on King of Mask Singer and various OST work. Hani needs no introduction at this point, her jack-of-all-trades utility plus a carefree and friendly personality speak for themselves. Just like their sudden explosion in popularity, EXID's spot in the rankings will also likely jump quickly. A good way to wrap up this year would be a Dasoni comeback, right?

6. Mamamoo
2014's hottest debut made it to the top in no time. The string of "Mr. Ambiguous," "Piano Man," "Ahh Oop!," and "Um Oh Ah Yeah" made for an excellent promotion cycle, while the rest of "Pink Funky" makes for an enthralling listen. Mamamoo has the vocal prowess, the retro vibe, and the addicting personalities that make for a killer group. Wheein and Solar make for an unfair vocal pairing, but Hwasa is responsible for like 90% of the charisma and sass and is plenty talented in her own right. The harmonization across their library is insane and with singers this good they have tackled all types of genres with success. Not to be forgotten though, is Moonbyul. Moonbyul is a more-than-capable rapper with surprising vocals. If they give her some singing lines they might be the most balanced group in line distribution. These girls need more variety appearances. They are extremely dorky and lovable, and their music is fantastic. What more could you want?

[Review] FIESTAR - You're Pitiful

Like most people, FIESTAR flocked onto the radar last year with "One More." Pleasing visuals paired with an addicting song were good enough reminders from "One More" that when I saw "You're Pitiful" coming around I figured I'd see if FIESTAR was capable of landing another solid hit. Thus far, most girl groups that I stumble upon have had good staying power.

As it turns out, "You're Pitiful" is a really pretty song. The delicate instrumental is extremely supportive of the synchronized vocals that FIESTAR brings while being strong enough to give a hook during the chorus. The whole song is just composed well, and both starts and finishes strong. Nothing is out of place, and none of the vocals are out of place either. But please, give Cao Lu some love. I'm starting to think that only Chinese members that have a primary role are the ones trying to terminate contracts. Anyway, the rapping by Yezi is solid and is a shame that I wasn't able to include her in my revisions of the Girl Group Rapper Power Rankings. The rap in "One More" was too short and questionable at best. Yezi has definitely rebounded from that in this release.

The MV is actually interesting / contains a plot, which as you've heard me say many times is already extremely good as far as videos are concerned. FIESTAR apparently likes to have something unique in their videos. Last time with "One More" it was the bright and lively colour borders and frames. This time there's plenty of food everywhere. Perhaps acting as a reminder that they don't get to eat anything because diets. Also there's a random car literally out of nowhere during Yezi's rap. Why?

Apparently people are hating on the fact that Jei gets so much camera time, but they must be blind because they somehow don't see her acting in the MV. I don't know if something similar happened with Girl's Day's Yura in "Expectation" but all this merely supports the notion that I really need to stop reading Youtube comments. On occasion there's something funny or witty but 98% of the time it's just trash. Did that guy just try on lipstick? LOL what a loser. Something that caught my attention which I liked was the use of the set in both the choreography shots and the plot scenes. This little touch seemingly connects the dance aspect and the plot aspect.

Choreography-wise this will definitely get edited by the broadcasting companies because the amount of butt is too high for Korea and the Korean public to handle. I did think the usage of male backup dancers was neat at the beginning of the chorus but then they just turn into human coathangers which wasn't very exciting. With that said, I appreciated the shots of just the members moreso than the shots with backup dancers. The camera, however, tried to be as risque as possible with so much angle abuse. That one move where the girls bounce on the chairs behind the guys? What is sexy about that? I don't really get it. Anyway, attractive women dancing attractively. Probably better choreography than "One More" but certainly will be adjusted for live performances.

I'm really liking "You're Pitiful." It's a strong song with nearly perfect visuals and a good rap showing from Yezi. Extremely well-rounded, though with some curious (questionable?) decisions in the video, but said video has some semblance of plot which I have come to appreciate.

[ Overall: 92 / 100 ]