[Bonus] Best Of Love Songs

Happy Valentine's Day...? Introductions are overrated and especially so after a long shift at work. Here are some of my favorite love and lovely songs. There is no order, only selected via stream of consciousness. Whatever that's supposed to mean. I'll be heading to New York tomorrow in preparation for Red Velvet's concert in Newark so expect some RV content of sorts in the days after.

Red Velvet - Kingdom Come

As I've stated many times before on this blog, Red Velvet's softer ballad-loving side is my favorite. "Kingdom Come" is a beautiful take with mesmerizing harmonies that roll from start to finish. One of the reasons this style is made for Red Velvet is simply because of their voices. Have you heard Joy and Wendy? They are untouchable in this realm. Even Yeri and Irene (though limited in exposure) don't sound too far behind the rest of the gang. The lyrics were perfect when they mentioned "I won't wake from this dream."

[Bonus] The Late Report: January 2019

January in music is typically an extension of December, so there aren't many activities yet. But some of our favorite singers got 2019 started on the right foot. In this edition of The Late Report we'll visit three of them.

Cosmic Girls - La La Love

Cosmic Girls have been lost in the shuffle as far as the rising stars go, but they are embarking with "La La Love" on a journey of promise. This song is a continuation of their trademark sound - though admittedly with way more English and quips which make the overall audio worse. They also committed the sin where someone other than their only talented rapper had rap lines. But for this group I am willing to forgive because otherwise, there'd be a handful of girls with zero parts. "La La Love" isn't their best work, but it's not their worst either.

iKON - I'm OK

You know me, I keep it real. Props where props are due: iKON has been killing it lately. Every title song from 2018 was fantastic and "I'm OK" is a blend of some of the previous year's magic. This track has the melancholy despair of songs like "Goodbye Road" and Big Bang's "Loser" while maintaining a strong instrumental that is common to YG music. I don't pay as much attention to the chains of successful consecutive releases for boy groups, but iKON is definitely on their A-game right now and look to continue doing so in 2019.

Chungha - Gotta Go

Awkward title aside (there goes the English vs. Korean debate again), this is such a gorgeous song. Chungha's voice is so pleasant when she's in her lower range (and when not straining but hey that's pretty much anyone), it's why I prefer songs like this and "Roller Coaster" from her. That sequence of instrumental notes during the chorus is so damn hypnotizing, doubly so when combined with Chungha's elegant voice. And speaking of, that high note during the bridge? Perfection. In the post-Produce world, Chungha is clearly the leader of that pack.

[Review] CLC - No

The world of Cube Entertainment has changed ever since the Fire Nation attacked Hyuna and E'Dawn revealed their relationship, and now CLC are in a position to become the primary attraction (if their junior girl group hasn't snatched that up already). Teasers for "No" were extensive and the audio snippets showed a lot of promise. The members looked and sounded great - so this could be a breakthrough moment. For some reason in 2019 I'm paying attention to teasers more. We'll see if that is a positive or negative thing in due time.

[Review] Itzy (Teaser)

Didn't think a Thought Corner post for this would be appropriate so here we are. Itzy is the new girl group that will be the headliner for JYP and the rest of Kpop in early 2019. Their group name is...questionable at best. While it's nothing terrible, they certainly won't be winning any awards, and especially not for creativity. There will certainly be "itsy bitsy spider" jokes but things could always be worse. In Korean it makes more sense since it's like "got it" and the title of the prologue video proves that.

Kinda crazy that it's already been three years since Twice debuted. They've definitely accomplished a fuckton since 2015 and with Stray Kids taking flight last year, it's time for another girl group to add to the roster. Itzy will be to Twice what miss A were to Wonder Girls, though hopefully with better treatment (and success). The only thing I know about this group is Ryujin because she was hailed as the next group star - and was supposed to be a lethal combo with Somi before she left for greener pastures. Other members may have Produce roots?

As with any new group, one immediately makes visual comparisons and connections. Lia to Jenny, Yeji to Yeeun, etc. Ryujin makes the most impact off a first glance, she seemed the most confident and comfortable but the others weren't bad either. If the audio is any indication, Itzy should bring a more serious and girl crush-esque sound which is the logical choice given Twice's monopoly on the cutesy dance pop style. Rather than shake up the Twice formula, give a new formula to the new girl group instead. Consider me intrigued, but that usually means I'm set for disappointment. Perhaps Itzy will receive enough JYP magic so they can keep the early strong start of Kpop in 2019 going.

[Review] Apink - %%

Apink grace us as the first song review of 2019. While it's only the third review under the new season, expect some increase in these posts now that I gave myself the freedom to write as much or little as I find appropriate. This comeback is important coming off the heels of "I'm So Sick" which was a revolutionary change of pace for the usually bubblegum pop group. Teasers showed that we'd likely return to the mature concept and that got my hopes up. Usually that sets me up for disappointment so we'll see if "%%" can deliver.