[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: May 2019

Oh boy, May was quite a doozy. There's a lot I want to mention in this post, and not all of it is music though certainly no shortage of that. Part of the reason is because I didn't really write a lot and another part is because of the sheer amount of STUFF last month. Youtube has been broken for me for the last few days so I'll probably have to edit this after publishing. But let's take a look at the mega May edition of The Late Report.

Lee Hi - No One (feat. B.I)

Praise everything that is holy, Lee Hi is releasing new music again. Of course this is only because YG is fucking sinking faster than the Titanic but whatever, I'll take it. Whatever is going on in the backing audio, I'll have that and then some. It's almost janky but reminds me of like funky reggae, which I dig. B.I shows up with a classic iKON rap and if you only heard his rap you wouldn't be judged if you thought it was a new iKON song. Her "I don't care about shit" is so soft-spoken it's like she's afraid to curse. That bridge is absolutely powerful and Kpop could learn from it. No comment on Lee Hi with cat ears or any of the other feline imagery...

[Bonus] Best Of 2013 Revisited

As a heads up, I'm gonna be pretty busy over the next few weeks. Apparently my next online course is no joke with the amount of reading materials, and I'll be traveling to Korea for a week (which is gonna be awesome!). I have a plethora of writing I want (and started) to do - as evidenced by the "Coming Soon" section, but no idea if they'll come to completion or not. Anyway, here's a look back at my picks in 2013 and how the list would look like now in hindsight.

#12. Davichi - Turtle (NEW)
Original: Davichi - Be Warmed
Davichi's original two tracks have been dropped and replaced by the lovely "Turtle." I consider "Turtle" the medium between "Be Warmed" and "Because I'm Missing You Today." It possesses the lighthearted feel of the latter while still maintaining an intensity in the powerful vocals of the former. Sure there's no Verbal Jint appearance but he's already a bonus to begin with. The vocal work between Minkyung and Haeri is divine in "Turtle," and has over the years risen to be my 2nd favorite Davichi track (behind "Don't Say Goodbye," naturally).

#11. Gaeko - Rhythm Is Life (NEW)
Original: JeA - Days & Nights
In the first list, Dynamic Duo was the sole male representation. This time around, only Gaeko returns (though there is another male artist later). Like I mentioned in Best Of 2012 Revisited, Korean hip-hop didn't fly onto the radar until 2013, and this was one of the pioneering tracks. Gaeko's "Rhythm Is Life" is a straight masterpiece in terms of the execution of lyrics. His delivery is pretty close to flawless and the replay value is through the roof. Gaeko and Dynamic Duo helped pave the way for other hip-hop artists to join my library.

[Bonus] 2015 Kpop Awards: Leftovers

Here are just some short extra material that I had drafted up or outlined but never got to flushing out for the regular writeup. Most of these are pretty damn random so you have been warned in advance!

Most Engrish Song: Sonamoo - Cushion

I almost put this as the most disappointing song of the year but this award makes much more sense. "Cushion" had potential. The instrumental is pretty addicting and both the vocals and choreography are explosive and dynamic. But most if not all of this is rendered irrelevant by the excessively bad English (both ways: too much English and too terrible English) layered throughout the song. At least Psy's lines were punny, I can't say the same for Sonamoo here. "Cushion" could've been the best rookie group track in 2015 but the Engrish cancelled those plans.

Best Collaboration: Hyorin, Bumkey, Jooyoung - Love Line

This is why you don't sleep on December. Collaborations were plenty in 2015 and many were extremely amazing, but when you combine the best girl group vocalist, and established male solos known for their voice, you know you have something special. At first you'd think it a bit awkward to have 2 male voices, but truth be told Jooyoung takes more of the spotlight and Bumkey is sort of a support role, as weird as that sounds. "Love Line" starts strong and finishes strong, and that's all that matters.

Best Mini Album: EXID - Ah Yeah

BoA's "Kiss My Lips" album was an easy pick for the best album of the year (if I included said category), but the mini section had some more competition. I think EXID takes this because of the dual threat between "Ah Yeah" capitalizing off the momentum they had and the excellent lineup of B-sides. Between "1m" and "With Out U," the remaining 4 B-sides are just as good of material. Throw in another version of "Every Night" and you have a capable EP.

Most Improved Group: SHINee

From "Replay" to "Lucifer," "Sherlock" to "Dream Girl," SHINee's title tracks were diverse but shared an underlying trait: they never hit it out of the park. Every song was mostly competitive but failed to produce that smash hit their labelmates prized. 2015 dropped "Married To The Music" and "View," both electric dance songs with equally exciting vocals. Definitely a high form for SHINee, and "View" would later inspire the incredible sounds of f(x)'s "4 Walls." B2ST also had a good year but "YeY" can't hold up to the SHINee standards.

[Review] Hyorin - One Way Love

Vocals: 10 / 10

Like “Lonely”, Hyorin is divine in this piece. And also like “Lonely”, there is a plethora of strong synergy between the verse structure, airy prechorus, ridiculsouly high ranged chorus, and belting at the end. Hyorin sings all of that and more. This song screams “Sistar” instead of “Hyorin” but I’ll talk about that while wrapping this review up.

Dance: 8 / 10

I don’t remember on which show, but Hyorin said somewhere that the whole “crab dance” made her uncomfortable and awkward, etc. She also said she went under plenty of criticism, and I’m gonna have to pile on. It doesn’t only look awkward, but it’s used in rather random parts throughout the song. Usually the “signature” moves of a choreography tend to be during the chorus. However, I’m still going to give Hyorin strong scoring here because the dances in Sistar and Sistar19 tend to be very sensual rather than straight up sexy, and not only that Hyorin debuting as a soloist

Rap: 10 / 10

Hyorin. Is. Fierce. Maybe fierce isn’t the right word, but perhaps sassy? It’s a very soft but fast rap, which I didn’t expect all too much until she dropped the “Let’s go” and was like “Oh damn Hyorin is about to rap!” and then the rap was pleasant and quickly over…just like most of Bora’s raps in Sistar’s music. She even layers over her own rap with her light vocals towards the latter portions, too. It’s actually ridiculous Hyorin pulled this off so fluidly.

Music Video: 8 / 10

Fabulous. I’m talking about Hyorin’s appearance, anyway. The video has all sorts of relationship drama and emotion that you’d expect, so good marks off that. The distinction between the bright white happy experiences of the past contrasted with the dark black difficult present was a pleasant touch that we’ve seen in previous Sistar videos (most notable in “Gone Not Around Any Longer”). The use of a brand new primary set with limited backup dancers during the rap also caught my eye and was nice to see. Maybe I’m spoiling Hyorin by giving her such a good score here, but her attractiveness plus the specific qualities of the video fight back.

~

Overall: 90 / 100

Perhaps even moreso than “Lonely”, I find myself replaying “One Way Love” every so often. While reviewed, a fantastic song, it’s concerning when Hyorin takes an entire “Sistar-esque” song and essentially outperforms every groupmate. I pictured it this way: if this was a Sistar song, Soyu could easily take the prechorus with her breathy vocals, Dasom could either have a verse or the soft background support vocals during the second verse, and Bora very obviously would’ve had the rap. 2013 was a very good year for Sistar, especially with Hyorin’s solo debut, I hope the other members get some love too, however, otherwise Hyorin could very well steal the spotlight away from them for good.

[Review] Hyorin - Lonely

Vocals: 25 / 25

As expected, Hyorin receives a perfect for the vocal work in “Lonely”. Everything is excellent, from the pacing, emotions, verse structure, and even English usage and pronunciation. “Lonely” is a word that is ripe for error from a Korean standpoint, so Hyorin surprised with smooth enunciation. How the word “heart” ended up, however, I’m not that comfortable with, since a blend between “heart”, “her” and “hurt”. All in all everything is pristine and I could not have asked for better.

Music Video: 22 / 25

Hyorin definitely does look “Lonely” in this MV. She seems to be enjoying herself though, at least during the shots in London, if I recall correctly. That certainly looked like plenty of fun to be roaming around the streets al for this video. Hyorin is rocking the new shorter cut (and colour, too) and the plethora of outfits matches well given her figure. All the other shots were a balance of carefree bright scenes and darker emotional scenes, which I found enjoyable. Like the vocals, I’ll keep talks short and sweet: it’s a good MV. Not as superb as the vocals, but hey with this MV score perhaps it doesn’t need to be.

~

Overall: 94 / 100

Seems like very impressive vocals have been a trend the last couple of weeks, not that I am complaining in the slightest. I do love me some excellent vocals, and definitely love some good Hyorin ballad. It’s just at the right speed of ballads that I tend to really find myself addicted to, and the chorus has just the sort of hook and sinker. We’ll tackle “One Way Love” tomorrow, and then lead into the “Best Of 2013”.