Another Late Report, yay! Hope you weren't used to the August edition and the extra credit there, because this month has slimmed down considerably and is more in line with other previous installments. Wonder what is in September's grab bag of goodies.
Presidential BTS
Really seems like BTS are doing some groundbreaking worth every month or so. Granted I haven't really listened to any of their recent music, but still. To get a letter from the president is pretty rad - doesn't matter if you follow, love, or hate them. They really are on another level by this point, and not even the worldwide pandemic has been able to slow them down in any capacity. Scary shit.
Choa - Girls Like You
Amidst all the depressing news revolving AOA (and the rest of the world), it's nice to have some good show up. Choa has been out of the spotlight for a while now and I'm glad she is back. Her voice is delightfully refreshing and this Maroon 5 cover does a great job of that. This should be a slow but steady return to at least singing in the public sphere for her. Welcome back, Choa.
Well things have certainly been...existing. The other day a couple old SNSD songs showed up on shuffle, and I thought "hey why not look at some of their classics?" And here we are. "Run Devil Run" has aged pretty well all things considered. Originally sung by Ke$ha (does she still exist?), SNSD brought this out of the mire way back in 2010. To add to the excitement, this was released shortly after "Oh!" popped off and there was the mysterious teaser at the end of their video.
I don't know what I'm gonna write here. There is...a lot going on in this world during 2020 and not much of it is pleasant. Music has not been as much of a getaway as it used to be and I default to gaming more often than not. Between Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem, it's got my bases covered. Anyway here's what was interesting in May.
DAY6 - Zombie
Man is it hard to avoid the music from this group when both my sisters only put their albums on repeat. Obviously it's still great music but I was never the type that could listen to the same thing over and over again. "Zombie" is the latest out of the band and it's another powerful piece. This coming off the heels of their break due to anxiety and other mental health concerns, is a proper and emotional track. There's also an English version of the song, which functions equally well.
Happy Brthday my queen. Turning 31 years young and still killing it everywhere she goes. The new song "Happy" looks like it'll be yet another twist on Taeyeon's superstar vocals. Can't wait!
This is also a PSA that I'm gonna be out for a week, heading to Los Angeles to travel and hopefully catch the coronavirus or something. By the time this post is live I should be in the air. Might be able to upload some cheese or simple reviews during my stay but if nothing new gets posted you now know why. Perhaps I will purchase some authentic merch while in Koreatown. Enjoy your week all the same.
February has come and gone, now we head into March. This was one helluva month, with comebacks galore and an extra 29th day to boot.
Everglow - Dun Dun
Dun? Done? Dumb? Which is it? I think it's actually a mixture of all three, but you can imagine my confusion on first listen. "Dun Dun" is Everglow's latest project and probably their most well-rounded of their three tracks so far. Thus, it's the one I like the best even though I'm not entirely sold on them yet. Everglow's trademark appears to be exhilarating dance tracks with impactful choruses that are loaded with lots and lots of energy. But for me it's the little things like the sly harmonies of each chorus that edge out "Adios" and "Bon Bon Chocolat." Aisha shows promise as a rapper with her voice and flow, I'm excited to see more of her.
Yezi - My Gravity
Hang on, this is Yezi...singing. What timeline am I in? Don't get me wrong, this is a gorgeous display of her vocal abilities, I simply was not expecting said display. This is the same girl that raps like a crazy dog and had a badass attitude on Unpretty Rapstar. The sheer surprise factor of how "My Gravity" is a ballad made me forget how I tend to really love the idols who are multitalented and Yezi is certainly showing she wants a place on that list.
With this, a full year of Late Reports have been filed. I can safely say that I like this series' inclusion on the blog: it helps take any pressure off having to write multiple reviews frequently, is clean and easy to format and write, and is super resourceful when it comes to Best Of 20XX and any compilation posts. Very glad I decided to do something like this. Here's what caught my eyes and ears during the month of October.
Tiffany - Run For Your Life
It's been a hot minute since I paid attention to what the non-Taeyeon girls of SNSD are up to. Tiffany strikes fear into the hearts of fans with this freaky MV. Halloween came early with these music video because she's got some curious outfits and styling present in "Run For Your Life." Those distorted leg shots are unsettling to say the least. Everything visual appears inspired by the works of a young Lady Gaga, and so does some of the sound. In particular, the way the autotune (or whatever mixing is involved) and her pronunciation of "glitter" is what reminds of Gaga's older material.
The queen is back. Taeyeon has returned with a new album "Purpose." If I was a true fan, I'd go and review the entire album but I know myself: I'd try and give up halfway through because I'm a lazy piece of shit. To that end, here we have the title track of this album, "Spark." Because I'm true Taeyeon trash I exposed myself to the music video teasers (and highlights from the album, too) so I was feeling pretty good about another solid Taeyeon release. Here's what I think.
Hold up, what universe are we living in? I had to use this performance instead of the MV because (a) when has SM ever promoted concert material? and (b) I simply love watching Taeyeon perform. Yes the music video was artistic and timeless - her bangs look was really taking me back to my early Sone days - but her mannerisms and expressions in the live are too lovely to pass up on.
Taeyeon is still the best Kpop girl. May her reign continue to be prosperous. Hopefully by March's end those patient Girl Group Vocalist Power Rankings will be released so she can maintain her throne at #1.
The final chapter of the 2018 Group Power Rankings was more difficult than most. I had over 15+ groups that kept bouncing on and off the list before settling down at the 11th hour. Obviously the upper echelons were pretty easy to separate from the rest of the pack but Honorable Mentions and the lower end gave me headaches. Either way, I powered through and here we are.
Honorable Mention: gugudan * New Releases: Not That Type
Making their debut on the group rankings is gugudan, who narrowly beat out (G)-IDLE for this spot. And thankfully they did because I would have loathed writing that name over and over. Anyways, gugudan have lost a member but gained plenty momentum in 2018. Subunit and full group activities were seen since the summer and while "Not That Type" wasn't perfect, it was a solid dance number that really impressed me. That and "The Boots" give me plenty of hope for the future of gugudan.
Honorable Mention: Black Pink * New Releases: Solo (Jennie)
Black Pink has not been in our area, but Jennie did drop a solo on us out of nowhere. I'm in the group that thinks a solo debut for a group that has less than ten total songs in their discography is odd if not desperate, but at least the song itself was serviceable. Her rapping was better than her singing, though the choreography was powerful and for a debut piece especially so. I considered dropping them off the list entirely but other groups don't have the luxury of having YG as their label, which theoretically bodes well for their future endeavors.
#10. Lovelyz (-2) * New Releases: Lost N Found
When it ain't broke, don't fix it. Lovelyz have a formula for innocence and continue to display it with "Lost N Found." That chorus is magnificent while the rest of the song is competing for that coveted ethereal sound that Cosmic Girls mostly hogs to themselves. Kei, Yein, and Mijoo lead this team with all sorts of success, and the visual combo of Mijoo and Jisoo is devastating. With Infinite members enlisting left and right, Woollim will focus their efforts on Lovelyz as their main attraction - I don't exactly know how popular Golden Child is but Lovelyz is the only girl group regardless.
If I was hardcore I'd have remembered the exact day and month I got into Kpop but as a scrub I only know fall 2009 is when I started really getting into this field. Thus anything here is primarily thanks to history, legacy, and lore. Here are the best of what Kpop offered during the mid-2000's.
#10. Younha - Password 486
Even though her "Someday" album is the true masterpiece of the early Younha era, I had to go with "Password 486" because it's more iconic. Younha was already doing work in Japan but this release put her on the spotlight in her native country. The pop rock elements and her strong voice are the driving forces behind a cute song. Check out Younha killing it with some younger stars earlier this year.
#9. Kim Jongkook - One Man
Ballads used to be king back in the day. Gummy, Davichi, etc. Kim Jongkook was no exception and his "mosquito voice" works its magic here. I never talk about lyrics but that last chorus, damn. It's honestly one of the most memorable ballads in Korean music history. Kim Jongkook has stayed relevant over the years doing music and variety, so his longevity is impressive. Too bad the MV isn't found anywhere on Youtube. This breaks the continuity early on, oh well.
Welcome to Season 9. I feel that with a two week break in the blog it's time to usher in yet another new season. I had / have other pieces nearly ready to go but felt that Season 9 should start with a full song review. This will be edited later with new banners but basically there will only be: introduction, review, and verdict. No score or artist-related images either, because I've gotten tired and lazy of needing them every song. Plus I have less time now what with long work hours and other responsibilities. Previously I've kept a rough count on words per review - something magnified in Blitz pieces - but will be abolishing that moving forward. If I feel like I'm done writing for the post, then I'm done. Not gonna worry about consistency in volume too much. Blitz reviews may end as a result but for now undecided. That's enough chatter let's get to the song.
This ought to be fun. Time for some motherfucking negativity up in here! Keeping with the S.M Entertainment theme, we're going to look at some of the worst selections (that are title tracks of course) to ever come out of that company. I did rank them, but that really means little when we're looking at the bottom of the barrel here. Some of the reasons are music-related, and some are purely hate-based. If something sounds bad, then it's bad. Simple as that. Let's see the worst material from one of the top entertainment labels in Korea.
#10. BoA - Nega Dola
Remember we're talking about bad songs so it's better to be up here than down there. Boy it feels bad to list BoA but I gotta do it. "Nega Dola" isn't even a below average song, but it would've been a great song if not for the horrific decision to make BoA rap. There are some things that you should never do. Giving BoA some pitiful rap lines in every verse leaves an awful taste in your mouth, and an awful sound in your ears. SME hardly has the rapping profile with their members, I don't know what they were thinking making BoA do that. Literally ruined the song for everyone.
#9. Super Junior - Mamacita
It's like "Mamacita" was a stepping stone or experiment to figure out how to incorporate international beats. Clearly needed some trial and error since "Lo Siento" was solid whereas "Mamacita" was...not. Everything about this track just feels awkward, like it's going through puberty or something. Even the typically sweet vocals from Kyuhyun and Ryeowook seem off. That rap break by Eunhyuk and Shindong is atrocious, so it's exactly like the average Super Junior rap! "Close your lips, shut your tongue" will always be associated with their cringe rap moments.
#8. TVXQ - Humanoids
TVXQ has had some magnificent highs and dreadful lows. They certainly support those type of eclectic tastes. I reviewed "Humanoids" on the blog before and it only scored a 70 thanks to appearance points and me liking the choreography at the time. Now with a refined taste in Kpop dances I can say it's not a strong dance. The chorus isn't half-bad...if all they were doing was singing. Too much chanting and rambling random shit. A hodge podge of mediocrity creates a mediocre product.
They're the only label with such a large assortment of artists to even do this for, so here is SM Entertainment's version of the Best Of Debuts (which has only one prior post). Some of this will overlap with said post because a handful of their groups made it on this list. However, times change and not only that, but this is only having their debut tracks in direct competition with each other. How good the song is / was overall matters most, but I also took into account relevancy at the time and if it withstood the modernization of Kpop. Because we wanna see each of their main superstars go head-to-head, TRAX and Zhang Liyin will be absent from this list, as will subunits and project groups like S.M. The Ballad and EXO-CBX. That could make for an entertaining revisit in the future though.
#10. Red Velvet - Happiness
Yeah...there's no way that Red Velvet wouldn't be last on a list like this. I still have nightmares about this song. From the awkward pronunciation of "happiness" to the terrible rapping heard throughout, there was a lot to forget about this debut. There was also the MV and the many issues there. Not much else to say other than thank heavens they turned it quite the ways around.
#9. Super Junior - Twins (Knock Out)
Despite not needing to compare with modern era boy groups, Super Junior 05's debut simply lacked the knock out capability their title claimed. I just don't think "Twins" is that good a song. Unremarkable in all facets, this was only impressive in the sheer number of members, as having 12 members was and still is unusual to see. In retrospect they almost had a fusion element to their early songs (almost like Dreamcatcher but a little more intense) and that's probably why I didn't like their pre-breakout era music.
#8. CSJH - Too Good
Before Mamamoo, there was SPICA. And before SPICA, there was CSJH. Pure vocalist groups can all trace their ancestry to the girls of CSJH The Grace. Their debut video has nothing but powerful voices and closeups to focus on the faces behind the voices. All these girls could sing and would dominate the competition today. Stephanie left and they've basically been dead but Dana's still kicking it today! Or at least, she did a ways back with "Touch You." Oh fuck that was two years ago...
After the unofficial prologue of the previous post, it's time for some more teasing. I've picked five songs which barely missed out on being in the top 10. These will be unranked, and only have brief notes about each selection. There's absolutely zero reason why previous Best Of 20XX posts never included the music videos so I'll be remedying that starting this year. Here are the songs that almost made the cut.
Taeyeon - Fine
"My Voice" assembled many superstar tracks together, and leading the charge was this song. "Fine" is probably the strongest of her title tracks up until now. It's not a pure ballad / lullaby like "11:11," nor is it the dance number like "Why." Since she has many beautiful moments in this track across her vocal range, "Fine" was a lock for the top songs, and her appearance here as a solo act previews what is to come in tomorrow's reveals.
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.
Originally, I was going to have a late November installment of the Girl Group Power Rankings. However with the SNSD news and my desire to put out rankings on a more regular basis (somewhat) means we'll have a new edition a few weeks early. I think having at least three or four installments per year for girl groups can show how the landscape changes every few months. Let's look at the girl group ladder for what may be Girls' Generation's last ride. Remember: this is my list, not yours! Music, roster, and consistency are my go-to attributes when determining rankings.
Honorable Mention: Lovelyz * New Releases: N/A
As much as I dislike the idea of putting three bubblegum pop groups on the list, Lovelyz is probably the next best group to join the Honorable Mentions section. They've been pretty consistent since their debut, and "Goodnight Like Yesterday" is still an elite ballad. This year they've had a handful of releases (which unfortunately don't get included since the last writeup was in late June) and are looking to wrap up a solid year with an upcoming November comeback. I'm hoping for something more experimental rather than a traditional pop dance track but I'd be open to another high quality ballad, too.
Honorable Mention: 9MUSES * New Releases: Love City
9MUSES remains on the outside looking in. While they haven't lost any more members since the last time we checked them out, their successor to a fantastic "Remember" comeback was the mediocre "Love City." The song was a little too all over the place and particularly disappointing was Sojin. Her encore performance to the spectacular rap from "Remember" was boring and repetitive. It's doubtful we'll see any new action from them in 2017, but I'd say this was a good rebound year for them, "resetting" the subunit as the full team and all that. Now if only Sungah could come back from hiatus...
#10. Dreamcatcher (--) * New Releases: Fly High
They're not technically new as they made an appearance under Honorable Mentions but now they've moved into the top 10. Fusing rock and dance, they really give off Jpop vibes and their trio of releases this year reflects that. Even though it lacked a true rap segment, "Fly High" might actually be my favorite of the set. The high tempo of the song is awesome and makes for an exhilarating listen. Now that they've sort of settled into their niche, it'll be interesting to see what direction they try and tackle in 2018. Other groups might have had bigger numbers and more production, but Dreamcatcher's turnaround story is the best of the year.
To tribute the unofficial end of Girls' Generation, I did a little experiment where I ranked the members in terms of bias. We have to go all the way back to when I started listening to them way back in 2009. Think of this as Bias Power Rankings but only within Girls' Generation. Keep in mind I never did these officially throughout the years so I went off memory for pretty much all stages. As always there isn't really a method to my madness. Here's what I finalized, with some explanation after the jump (if only so this isn't just a picture post haha).
Pack it up y'all, the girl groups we used to love are all dead and gone. Girls' Generation is the proverbial nail in the coffin, with recent news reporting that some members did not resign with S.M. Entertainment. Seohyun, Sooyoung, and Tiffany will not remain under the label, while everyone else - Taeyeon, Sunny, Yuri, Yoona, and Hyoyeon - will resign. Whether it's official or not, Girls' Generation is finished. Yeah they may not have disbanded, but you can't realistically expect all the members to come together in the future when they're under different management. I also feel there's no way S.M. would let that happen, this is S.M. we're talking about.
Guess who's back, back again. SNSD's back, tell a friend. The current #1 girl group is here for more magic. Another comeback, another dual title tracks with "Holiday" and "All Night." How spoiled we can be as fans of Girls' Generation. This is their monumental 10th anniversary since debut, and even though Jessica is gone that doesn't take away from this accomplishment. When younger girl groups say they hope to replicate the success and longevity of SNSD it's not even an overexaggeration. Apparently Taeyeon liked "All Night" more which means in true curse fashion that I'll like "All Night" more but "Holiday" will perform better. Let's see if that holds up.
I don't think it's possible for the Taeyeon / Seohyun combo to get old. We see it all the time in subunit packages and here, too. Comparatively speaking, I don't like how the girls sound in "Holiday" because the range is too high for a lot of members, and it's especially evident during the verses. For this reason I enjoy listening to "All Night" more (to be determined whether or not I'll review that). The chorus escapes the range issues and is perfectly fine, plus the extra line tagged at the end is a nice addition to an otherwise simple chorus. Tiffany salvages the verse with the first half of her non-chorus part but again their voices sound a tad too high for my preference.
