[Blog] The Soloist J-Trinity

Today is a short and light blog post that sort of doubles as a spotlight-esque article. We'll see how I feel about it and go from there if I have similar ideas in the future. We all know the J-Trinity that is Twice's Mina, Momo, and Sana. But there's another trio of J's who are nowhere near as popular or discovered, and that's a damn shame. These three are all underrated soloists that don't get anywhere near as much love as they deserve, for reasons (mostly) beyond my understanding.

[Review] Wonder Girls - Why So Lonely EP

It's been a long time since I reviewed an album. Or rather, a mini album / EP because the previous three installments (Taeyeon, IU, 9MUSES) have all been mini albums haha. Anyway those classification and syntax things aside, let's take a brief look at Wonder Girls' return with the "Why So Lonely" EP. Their comeback last year with a new lineup and band concept was well-received and their legend continues to grow.

1. Why So Lonely

"Why So Lonely" is a wonderful thing. Retro swag and reggae swag combined into one masterpiece. These vocals are fun but sultry at the same time, and that includes Yubin. Wait what. Holy shit! Yubin got to sing?! My hype and appreciation for this can't be expressed enough. I'm hoping that this will magically pioneer a shift where rappers get at least some singing lines. Moonbyul, Bora, Woori, etc. Anyway Sunmi and Yeeun continue to deliver and the more you look, the more valuable 1-2 vocal punches seem to be really damn good. The entire song is full of reggae feel, so I know a certain Running Man cast member is probably really happy about this one.

[Review] GFriend - Navillera

The girls of GFriend are now onto their 4th song and gaining momentum fast. They have evolved piece by piece from the days of "Glass Bead," each subsequent comeback adding a little more depth to their style. At the beginning of the year, "Rough" was a sensational effort that established the group among the titans. With all the lore of legendary title track runs of old (9MUSES, Girl's Day), could GFriend be embarking on one of their own, from debut no less?!

GFriend continue to do a really good job with their signature style. Every title track is distinct enough to not be a clear copy, but still maintains their sound enough that you know it's GFriend. I think this style of marketing is the best: keep a standard formula with minor tweaks here and there, but don't fix what ain't broke (maybe a blog post about this whole strategy later). But the key ingredient is that the music still has to be good. And man is "Navillera" good. I don't quite understand what that's supposed to mean, and once again the Korean title of "You And I" makes much more sense but whatever. A main component of this song's quality is the electrifying instrumental. It's really damn good, and reminds me of another excellent instrumental in 9MUSES' "Wild."

[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] Girl Group Power Rankings III: Summer 2016

Welcome to the latest edition of the Girl Group Power Rankings. Being the first installment of the 7th season, I'm going to write down a little of my thought process regarding how the rankings are worked out. The primary criteria for my evaluation are as follows (in order of importance / weight): quality of music (with emphasis on title track material), consistency (past history and legacy), individual and team performance / talent, miscellaneous data (variety shows, etc.). The music factor will only be accounted for the period between the previous Power Ranking. So for this series, only content from around mid-March was considered, but will also include anything I may have missed.

Honorable Mention: Wonder Girls

* New Releases: To The Beautiful You (upcoming)
Wonder Girls make a return to the Power Rankings, though this time as a Honorable Mention. They've been rather quiet since the revival as a band, and their comeback didn't get enough praise as I thought it would. Still, they're veterans with serious experience now, and their lineup boasts plenty of talent from Yubin's glorious rapping to the equally strong vocal tandem of Sunmi and Yeeun. By the by, Yeeun did join Younha and Cheetah for "Get It?" but it's not her work, even though she did participate heavily. Anyway, with a comeback happening very soon, they'll put on their best effort to fight among the rookies that are everywhere.

Honorable Mention: Red Velvet
* New Releases: One Of These Nights

The female maknaes of S.M. have come on strong lately. They own 2016's best ballad in "One Of These Nights," and their resume is further backed by addicting dance numbers in "Dumb Dumb" and "Ice Cream Cake." Ignoring their debut, RV have shown mastery of both elements, touting both versatility and consistency in two different concepts. I consider this group one that is more than the sum of its parts. Individually, the talent on he roster isn't that noteworthy, but they always make their songs work, which is a testament to good music production. With rumors of another comeback coming later in the year, Red Velvet is only going to climb higher.

#10. 9MUSES (-2)
* New Releases: N/A
Truth be told, the only reason 9MUSES is here at this stage in their careers is for legacy reasons. If not for their 2013 and 2015 runs (which were amazing and good, respectively), I'd have given this spot to Red Velvet, who are more deserving of the spot given their recent additions. Even though this will likely be the last time we see 9MUSES here, there is still a little bit of hope for them. Some form of a comeback or promotion cycle will come later this summer, and whether it's a "full" group or a subunit, it'll help ease the pain of losing yet more members. Even a Nasty Nasty-esque collaboration would suffice. We'll just have to wait and see.