[Bonus] Best Of 2012 (#4-#1)

4. Juniel - Bad Man

Juniel’s Korean debut with “Illa Illa” immediately gave her a unique position amongst solo debuts. I thought of her like a pleasant combination of Younha and IU, two who also happen to be standout vocalists. However, “Bad Man” is more along the lines of ranking Juniel along with the prestigious high note ballad masters, like Joo, Minkyung, and Jessica. While Juniel has such a pretty voice, I think she’ll probably be limited to this type of music, since I don’t see her being able to hold her own in anything requiring more power. Regardless, she’s flawless and the adlibs are delicious. The ending is a perfect “picture” of the song, with innocent Juniel’s extremely pretty voice singing “You are such a mean person, you are such a bad person”, it’s almost eerie.

3. Big Bang - Blue

This song is amazing because Big Bang doesn’t typically release this style of music. What is even more amazing is the perfect execution by all the members. Yes, even T.O.P pulls his own impressive weight in this soft medium tempo ballad. Everyone’s notes are mellow, the tune is relaxing and soft, and the rap singing isn’t out of place, a culmination of something we don’t expect to see coming out of this loud and electric group. The most interesting part of the song is the chorus, since at first listen Seungri and G-Dragon seemed to merge. I think since “Blue” was released first, I had increased my expectations for the other two title tracks which (for the most part) did not fail to disappoint.

2. Younha - Would We Have Changed (feat. John Park)

You saw glimpses of my praise for this song in “Best Of Younha”, so you already know what I’ll be saying. The harmonization work between Younha and John Park is practically unrivaled. While 2012 did bring out some other really strong harmony showings (Kyuhyun and Tiffany in “Rise And Shine”), this song sets a standard far above what many singers can reach. The emotion and synchronization is flawless, making “Would We Have Changed” easily the best song of Younha’s 4th album and propelled “Supersonic” to one of my favourite overall albums.

1. Ailee - Heaven

Since the days of her Youtube channel, Ailee has shown off beautiful talent which has not lingered through her path to stardom. With the debut of “Heaven”, the incredible performances on Y’s Sketchbook and Immortal Song 2, to the comeback with “I Will Show You”, Ailee proved she isn’t merely a Korean American soloist but carries much stronger potential than most people thought. While her covers of “Halo” and later, “Girl On Fire” have showcased her power, “Heaven” brought out and perfected the “power ballad” genre, mixing explosive high / power notes with soothing verses and bridging crescendos. Ailee even utilized her husky voice at the end, truly standout work.
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So there you have it, my list of the top 12 songs in this bright and explosive year. Essentially, to me ballads are too strong for the singers with incredible voices for the dance pop genre to put up a serious fight. For 2013, I will be changing up the schedule a little, mainly releasing the weekly review on Sundays, optionally followed by either bonus writings or a retro review on Wednesdays and Fridays. Stay tuned and happy New Years

[Bonus] Best Of 2012 (#8-#5)

8. Seungyeon - Guilty

By leaps and bounds, Seungyeon’s “Guilty” outplayed all the individual songs by the other members of KARA, and is good enough to find itself at #8. Seungyeon’s voice was a little underwhelming for some parts but very strong otherwise, and the high note is very clean. The instrumentals were also excellent, especially during the parts where the intense bass and strings brought a delightful contrast to Seungyeon’s whispering. For bonus, the music video was also beautifully crafted. The scenery and effects were awesome, Seungyeon looked awesome, and the use of explosions at the chorus were awesome.

7. J-Min - Stand Up

The decision between whether Seungyeon or J-Min would rank 7th was my most difficult decision in this review. Yeah, it’s merely OST work, but J-Min’s voice is probably one of the best to sync this style of music, and the ending was swift and strong. While the ending of “Guilty” was more dramatic, this had better execution. J-Min’s high notes and power notes do not fail to disappoint, and she used energy to stand more apart from the instrumental, whereas Seungyeon’s soothing notes blended. The guitar solo / instrumental was classy, and while the music video paled in comparison to “Guilty” save for Jungmo’s appearance, keep in mind “Stand Up” is just a OST and, this isn’t a rank of music videos to begin with.

6. Psy - Gangnam Style

Yes, the Gangnam phenomenon is crazily overhyped by now, but I feel neglecting a song that has become Youtube’s most viewed ever, and brought more knowledge of Psy who was rather quiet seems unreasonable. At least placing “Gangnam Style” in the upper half does it justice if only for sheer popularity. But you’re forgetting this song is hilarious, too. Psy’s heartful rapping and singing will bring smiles to your face as you watch it alongside the music video, and my what a glorious music video. Quite simply one of the best if not the best MV I have ever laid eyes upon. One billion views have been reached, what is next?

5. Girls’ Generation 태티서 - Twinkle

S.M. proved whether it’s 9 or 3, or anything in between, SNSD will always be on the top. The first variant of the subunit system delivered a delightfully catchy pop song with excellent showing from the main vocalists Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun. It’s lighter than “Genie” but more serious than “Gee”, and the choreography is pretty cute and catchy, too. Taeyeon is nothing short of perfection, Tiffany absolutely killed it with her low husky adlibs, and I’m one of many shocked by maknae’s fierceness and charisma. The belts were so obviously strained but is only a minor error in light of such a nice song. The next subunit has some shoes to fill, in the footsteps of “Twinkle”, but I believe the members will bring more than enough hype for the song.

[Bonus] Best Of 2012 (#12-#9)

2012 was yet another busy year for the Korean music industry. It saw the emergence of even more groups, the explosiveness of Psy, the T-Ara crisis, IU / Eunhyuk shenanigans, among others. Of course the year also brought some crazy good releases. As it is 2012, I selected 12 of my favourites, the best of the best, previewing four a piece for the next three weeks.

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12. B.A.P - Warrior

Like previously mentioned in the specific review, “Warrior” was a breakout release for a debut because the song was so out of the ordinary. The aggression, confidence, and power in the song were unrivaled (or for some not even attempted) by other male group debuts that give them a place on the best. What It lacks in vocal talent is more than recovered by flashy choreography and very impressive rapping segments. With only a debut song, B.A.P makes it to the top 12.

11. EXO-K - Angel

Similarly to “Warrior”, EXO-K’s “Angel” places on the list from a debut group. While “MAMA” was aesthetically unique and all, I was drawn to “Angel” by the impressive vocal presentation between D.O, Baekhyun, and Suho. Baekhyun’s voice was perfectly at home here, and while I enjoyed “What Is Love” just as much, “Angel” gets the nod for including Suho, whose smooth vocals are a welcome addition.  Note that I didn’t list this as “EXO - Angel” even though EXO-M’s version is the exact same song. Quite frankly, EXO-M has a lack of good singers. Chen is the standout, but Luhan, Lay, and Xiumin are all “good”, at best. Sometimes I think Chen was included in EXO-M so EXO-K wouldn’t hog all the best vocalists of the members.

10. Sistar - Alone

“Alone” was probably the earliest catalyst of 2012’s “sexy but classy” theme so many girl groups used. Along with that, it also helped propel Sistar’s popularity skyward and handed them a nice cushion for the summer release of “Loving U”. Ignoring the atrocious music video lacking any substance, Dasom and Soyou really stepped up providing soft transition vocals and Hyorin is nothing short of stellar, of course. Bora’s rap provides good transition and the execution is quite solid. Fantastic work.

9. Big Bang - Fantastic Baby

Speaking of fantastic, what is the best 12 songs of 2012 without one of Big Bang’s signature bombastic releases. “Fantastic Baby” was all sorts of bizarre awesome from the funky verse structure, “BOOM SHAKALAKA”, everybody’s crazy hair in the music video, and just the music video in general. If you were at all surprised by anything in the Big Bang video, it probably means you don’t know this group all too well as of the past couple of years. This song is pretty much everything we have come to expect and enjoy from Big Bang, and so it ranks 9th.

[Review] Son Dambi - Dripping Tears

Vocals: 8 / 10

Son Dambi has always had an underrated voice in my opinion. It’s not standout power vocalist but it’s perfect for songs like this and past hit “Crazy”. A very smooth and soothing voice, which is great for fast to medium tempo ballads. The only high notes are ones comfortably within her range and I really like the articulation on the main chorus “Tears are falling, rain is falling, love is falling”. Either her vocals could’ve been ramped up or the electric parts of the instrumental toned down since it seemed to overtake her voice at points. The piano background was excellent though.

Appearance: 7 / 10

I’ll be honest here, Son Dambi has never really impressed me with her looks. She looks really nice at some angles and at others her eyes really bug me. The best description is a sort of cross between Narsha, Jiyeon, and UEE. But please get rid of the blonde wig. I can’t recall if Son Dambi has gone blonde in the past but this specific style looks awful. Part of it is being too short for her, part of it being how it frames her face, but yeah a pretty huge nono. However, it does showcase a uniqueness along with the funky orange eyeliner. The appearance along with the setting really reminded me of Miryo’s “Dirty” but I’ll touch upon that later.

Dance: 8 / 10

For a video that was mainly enveloped in plot(?) the choreography was mainly at the beginning to middle of the song. Continuing on with the “classy but sexy” theme, Son Dambi shows off her curves and all that. I couldn’t take her seriously in the sequences with the blonde wig though, so I kinda laughed when those came up. Like I said, it’s not subtle in any way but definitely less “severe” compared to the choreography of “Crazy”. All in all I paid more attention to the other content of the MV than the dance.

Music Video: 9 / 10

This music video first struck out like a hybrid of SHINee’s “Juliette” and Miryo’s “Dirty”. More specifically, the hospital scenes where she’s laid out in the stretcher with a confused look on her face, wearing a funky hairstyle and eye makeup. Yeah that screams “Dirty” all over it. The drowning was different, though, and the backup dancers for that part had full on body suits. A little strange, but I can appreciate it. The ending is also completely random. How the heck did Son Dambi go from that hospital room out into the ocean? Beats me. Maybe there was a magical unicorn I missed in transition.

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Overall: 82 / 100

Son Dambi’s vocals do a lot for this song, making it very pleasant on the ears. Everything else is just kinda there. The dancing is okay, the looks are okay, and the music video is okay. Bonus points for breaking the hell out of that chandelier though. Woman got muscle.

[Review] Secret - Talk That

Vocals: 9 / 10

This time around, Ji Eun doesn’t get anything extraordinary to make this score perfect, but everything about the vocals falls in line for every member. Hyosung and Sunhwa show a little more than mere transitional voices and Zinger even makes her debut(?) with a healthy amount of lines for the second verse. While she doesn’t have the greatest voice, it’s still pleasant to listen to and compliments everyone else. The setup and structure is not anything extremely impressive, but that’s precisely why their score is near perfect. The execution and emotion is perfect for the mood and tempo of the song.

Appearance: 10 / 10

I expected colour and style changes since it has been two months since “Poison”, but the only one who did was Ji Eun, and thankfully so. She looks so much better and the colour is not bad for her. Seems like the major vocalists of girl groups have tried the crimson red at some point: Park Bom, Tiffany, Ji Eun, Seungyeon. Nobody really changed aside from the hair colour for Zinger, so this remains perfect. Was hoping for a return of Sunhwa’s glorious eye smiles but it’s a ballad. Oh well.

Dance: 7 / 10

Honestly after watching the music video, the dance barely crosses my mind. Perhaps because there was just so little emphasis on it, or that TS Entertainment had the shadow backup dancers be the focal point of the choreography, but either way the dance is something light piggybacked along by the vocals. Hyosung gets a short solo and everyone drools over her, but other than that standard stuff.

Music Video: 8 / 10

Couple a simplistic set of vocals with simplistic visuals and music video and you’re bound to have a good score. Since the dance was so light, it was practically taken out of the equation, leaving solos and group shots where the scenery is pristine and everyone looks great. Emotions matched well with the song, and Ji Eun even gets some smooch time in there. While certainly not the standout ballad like 2AM’s “Can’t Let You Go Even If I Die”, the formula for the music video is the same and so a good one.

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Overall: 86 / 100

When you first listen to it, the muffles and filters of “Talk that” seem way too repetitive and unnecessary, but after multiple listens you can hardly even tell they are there (except for in the beginning, of course). What you’re left with is a beautiful melody and moving vocals, all in all making “Talk That” an excellent ballad.

[Review] TVXQ - Humanoids

Vocals: 7 / 10

Honestly, this song doesn’t have many impressive things happening in terms of vocals. Sure, the chorus is relatively high but other than that, it’s pretty ordinary. What I do like though, is the experiment S.M. did with abnormal vocal rhythm and patterns which we haven’t really seen. While the disastrous “Flower Power” of SNSD was just messy all around, this song’s mechanics work well together, but a lack of anything powerful out of Changmin keeps this score average.

Appearance: 9 / 10

Yunho’s hair got shorter, right? I can’t really tell but at least the style certainly looks like it’s shorter than when it was in “Catch Me”. Changmin looks solid per usual, but god everything is just too boring (see the music video portion) so I can’t really talk about much. In contrast to the similar uniforms of “Catch Me”, this gives Yunho and Changmin unique outfits in the colourful shirts as opposed to the blank / plain ones of the backup dancers.

Dance: 8 / 10

Now this dance I like, mostly because the type of movements matches the song (or at least the music video set anyway) with the sharp robotic movements. The integrated choreographies in “Catch Me” were cool but this style is more appealing in my opinion. On a side note to that though, since the choreography is very linear (nothing different from what the backup dancers are doing, excluding dance breaks), it was weird to try and make both members stand out with the different / bright coloured shirts.

Music Video: 4 / 10

Oh look, Yunho and Changmin are wearing fancy clothes. Oh look, Yunho and Changmin are locked in a fancy room. Oh look, all they’re doing is dancing and having close-ups. Oh look, they both have the same room in the solo shots. What else isn’t new? I’m just going to keep this section at that, because there really isn’t anything else to talk about.

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Overall: 70 / 100

S.M. has been pretty disappointing lately. “Maxstep” was okay at best, and “Flower Power” a disaster I never want to speak of, “Humanoids” falls in line and it’s just a decent song with a boring ass MV. Supposedly two more groups are to come from S.M. during 2013, so I hope they at least attempt to make some higher quality stuff. Then again, seems like S.M. has always been about quantity and not quality.

[Review] Lee Hi - 1,2,3,4

Vocals: 10 / 10

Lee Hi has a kickass voice! Not necessarily through emotion and power, but distinctive in the sound. The kind of voice that would rock songs like “Lady Marmalade” and other sassy type songs. That said, this song definitely has the Lady Marmalade vibe to it, so Lee Hi sounds fantastic. Her English is also really refined, something I didn’t expect. There’s a variety of English thrown around (required by the Korean music order) and not a single word is mispronounced. A solid range, pretty expression, and flawless English give Lee Hi a perfect score for vocals.

Appearance: 8 / 10

For such a young one, she looks way older, but I suppose that’s a trait shared by a variety of idols. I had no idea she was to be a member of YG’s upcoming girl group, so that threw me off in age guessing. At most angles, she looks like a younger Miryo (especially the ones with her hair back) and that is not a bad look at all. If she wasn’t so awkward in the music video, I probably would’ve given her a 9 or even a 10. Oh well, next time, Lee Hi!

Dance: 7 / 10

This song doesn’t place much emphasis on choreography (or the music video either, har har) and there isn’t much focused choreography until the second chorus. There’s no real theme to the dance either, just your typical shenanigans here and there. I probably should be ranking this out of 5 or not ranking it at all since it’s less focused but whatever. This will tie into what I have to say about the music videos later, but since Lee Hi is clearly the vocal dominant type, I think she should just forgo dance altogether (save it for the debut with the girl group) and just have a mic on set, and go from there (similar to Younha’s work).

Music Video: 4 / 10

Awkward does not begin to describe this video. I understand Lee Hi is young, and a rookie, but other rookies like EXO and B.A.P were pretty much flawless with their debut appearances in terms of energy, charisma, and most importantly lipsyncing. Lee Hi is to put it bluntly awful at lipsynching, in an eerie resemblance to YG labelmates Park Bom and T.O.P. Maybe it’s a trend: at least one member of each group has to (purposely or not) be terrible at lipsyncing. Does this mean T.O.P is actually good at singing?! The world may never know. Outside of really bad lipsyncing, her acting / energy in the music was lackluster, too. She looked stiff for pretty much the entire video except for miniscule seconds of emotion like a smile or wink. Hope she loosens up for the future!

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Overall: 75 / 100

Out of the blue, YG delivers Lee Hi with a catchy debut track full of soul and great vocals. While not something YG would normally release (I suppose save for 2NE1), it is very pleasant to listen to. Lee Hi is sure to be a standout vocalist in YG’s new girl group that’ll debut soon…right?

[Bonus] Best Of Younha

Younha is one of the originals who contributed to the success of current Hallyu stars today. Younha along with BoA were some of the first Korean artists to become popular in Japan. Fluent in both Japanese and Korean, Younha possesses an extremely underestimated and versatile voice (#1 in my heart). While her work is predominantly pop rock, I’ll be introducing a varying ten of Younha’s songs which I find just too good, in this writeup. I tried to include many different varieties of Younha’s work, since pop rock / ballads may not be your cup of tea. If you have never heard of this singer, you will definitely want to check these out and see what you like.
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10. Password 486 (The Perfect Day To Say I Love You)

- Password 486 is probably the staple of Younha’s pop rock style. With the standard instrumentals in the background, Younha doesn’t do anything too out of the ordinary with her voice, but it’s one of the more catchy choruses and easy on the ears. If I were to fault the song it’d be for the lackluster ending which seemed strange and was repetitive.

9. Please Take Care Of My Boyfriend (Lost In Love)

- This release is one of my overall favourite ballads in terms of vocal performance. The emotion and high range of notes is truly impressive. I think the drums could be toned down a little though, especially during the bridge (right before the final chorus).

8. Memory (feat. Tablo) (2집 Someday)

- One of two songs on the list with features, Tablo joins in for a fast paced ballad. Tablo’s raps start off slow and increase in tempo and complexity as the song goes on which is a nice touch. The slow verses countered with the upbeat and almost frantic chorus sound strong together.

7. Telepathy (2집 Someday)

- Take the style of Password 486, now intensify everything: the instrumental, the voice, the speed, the power, and throw in a sassy piano solo, and that’s what Telepathy is in essence. As a bonus, the music video is absolutely hilarious.

6. Delete (The Perfect Day To Say I Love You)

- I’m not really sure how I would describe Delete. It comes off as a medium paced ballad that suddenly explodes into a frenzy of drums and high notes at the chorus, before transitioning back to the slower tempo. This song seemed to be one of the earlier songs in which Younha experimented with various options and arrived at quite the pleasant result. The increasing usage of power notes at the end are the highlight of this song.

5. I Like You (3집 Part B: Growing Season)

- While Password 486 is a staple, I Like You is the epitome of Younha’s pop rock releases.Trading in piano for strong electric guitar riffs,Younha sings her heart out from beginning to end. The muffled voice in transition between chorus and verse is a tad strange, but is offset by the great high note and adlibs following.

4. My Song And (2집 Someday)

- The first full English song, Younha shows off her perfect English. There were no flaws whatsoever. The instrumental is very soft which compliments the softness and innocence of her vocals. This song paved the way for future English covers and hopefully more English songs.

3. Would We Have Changed (feat. John Park) (4집 Supersonic)

- This song boasts really amazing harmonization work between Younha and John Park. John Park’s smooth baritone notes compliment Younha’s higher pure notes. While Younha excels at slow emotional ballads (and everything else), I think she perfects this specific style of ballad, and easily rocketed to a high rank on this list.

2. Broke Up Today (3집 Part B: Growing Season)

- One of Younha’s most prized ballads, Broke Up Today combines the simple instrumentals of My Song And with the smooth and moving vocals in Memory. The chorus structure is very pretty and also relatively catchy, a trait I find not many ballads have. I’m not one for the background vocals who make short appearances, even if it was Younha’s voice, they still sounded funny.

1. Hero (2집 Someday)

- Hero is Younha’s gold and hands down one of the best songs ever. Right from the start, Younha brings power, emotion, and stability to the table and the intense instrumental is with her all the way. And how can you say that the piano solo was not one of the best you have ever heard. The song was so amazing that upon my first listen years ago, I thought this had to be the title track, simply because of how good it was. To quote a certain someone “absolutely sublime from start to finish and I will jam forks into my eyes if I ever use those words to describe anything else ever again.”
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“Honorable Mentions”

Houki Boshi (Go! Younha)

Time2Rock (Audition)

Ima Ga Daisuki (Single)

Gossip Boy (2집 Someday)

“Everything Younha has.” -Miharu hyung
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So get out there and discover the brilliance of Younha and which songs / style you like most!

[Review] B.A.P - Warrior

Vocals: 5 / 10

The vocal showing was rather lackluster to unimpressive. The chorus was good since the parts were low and such but everything else was, for a lack of a more interesting word, bad. All the other lines resulted in strained vocals, members reaching for their notes which really turned me off from the song. The bridge leading to the finale was the most obvious example of this with the stretched high note. If you’re going to debut a group which isn’t known for their vocal talent (which isn’t even the case with B.A.P with Daehyun and Youngjae), it’d be wise to release songs which don’t have too much vocal strain.

Appearance: 7 / 10

So I know I have said before that I appreciate singularity or a state of togetherness witihn a group. It irks me when a group has one or two members who have a different hair colour which makes them stand out randomly. However, when every member has the same hair colour and hairstyle, I think it tends to get a little confusing. Especially when this is a group’s debut and nobody (except for the insane creeper fans who have inside sources) knows who they are yet, it becomes extremely difficult to determine who is who. When this song was first released, I saw pages upon pages of comments like “Who is when?” to “I like the blonde one” simply because it was just so goddamn difficult differentiating between each member. I suppose the slight variation in colour of their jackets and pants could help if you were paying that much attention for the 0.5 seconds they were on screen. I feel the blonde took away from the punk aggro style they were going for but I guess the cut and outfits helped everything be okay.

Dance: 10 / 10

This choreography is aggressive, flashy, and downright awesome. The dance 100% matches the style of the song, and while there are other songs with solid dances to compliment them, this one is by far one of the best performances I’ve seen. Choreographies lately have been more focused on catchy moves for fans / others to imitate, dances like this really power B.A.P to being a standout group in terms of dancing skill. The choreography of “Warrior” is a perfect blend of synchronized movements and unique / individual parts (like the fantastic puppet master bits), which is quite literally amazing considering the trend is typically one or the other. The dance break (or at least parts of the break) was by far the most impressive of the choreography. Really impressive work by B.A.P.

Rap: 10 / 10

Whoo does this pair of rappers put others to shame, and they are rookies, no less! Yongguk and Zelo deliver a powerful performance to match the song. Never having followed the releases of either rapper beforehand, I didn’t really know what to expect from these two (or in a sense I did in that I assumed neither would be impressive since there aren’t many good rappers out there) but they shut me up (or at least Yongguk did) right away. Yongguk easily reminds everyone of Korea’s resident badass rapper in T.O.P but with an even lower voice(?) and not quite as good looking (huehue). Zelo’s young but he’s definitely got the skill as his bursts of lines shocked me the most. While both rappers’ parts were aggressive and matching in beat, Yongguk’s rap was more powerful while Zelo’s more quick. I’m excited to see what future work for these two will bring.

Music Video: 8 / 10

This music video is not much different than the standard, but there are differences worth noting. For one, the deadmau5 appearance is strange but neat at the same time, mainly because not many groups have a logo and I think it’s good enough. Of course the aggressiveness of the video and various images / effects added flavour to the video. Camerawork (which I don’t really touch upon) was really good, too. I suppose since nothing else could have come from this theme the execution for the music video was close to perfect.

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Overall: 80 / 100

This was an extremely impressive debut for a group amongst the sea of newbies, showing off rappers and choreography which blew many away. Like others, if I hadn’t known any better I would have never guessed this was a debut. I have yet to follow up on any of B.A.P’s other releases (because there are so many!) but if they are more or less the same style and flavour of “Warrior”, I can come to enjoy them.

[Bonus] Girls' Generation Vocal Power Rankings

Girls’ Generation. Perhaps one of the most stacked (also including underrepresented) lineups in terms of vocal talent. However, in any group, there are some that shine stronger than others. I’ll be writing up some thoughts on each member and why they stand where they are. Included with each rank are some songs I selected which highlight a glimpse of each member.

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1. Taeyeon

- Glorious Taeyeon comes in at #1 and as such is one of the strongest female group vocalists ever. Powerful emotion, shivering falsetto, solid range, and near-flawless English are some of her qualities. Taeyeon also has amazing utility in singing multiple genres: bubblegum pop, ballad, rock, country; you name it, she can sing it, and well. Compared to Seohyun and Jessica though, her comfort range is low and while she can perfectly hit every high note you throw at her, there’s a very noticeable difference in power between her belts in Twinkle and Gee to those in Genie and Mistake.

Highlights: Genie; Devil’s Cry; I Love You; Mistake; O Holy Night

2. Tiffany

- If Taeyeon’s voice is “ying”, then Tiffany’s voice is definitely “yang”. Words cannot describe how perfectly the combination of TaeNy’s voices compliment each other. Taeyeon has high emotion and falsetto, and Tiffany brings low power and huskiness. Tiffany is really the only member who can provide those long powerful belts, and while she excels at that, she can still hit those high notes quite beautifully, too. With such a wide range, it’s almost inevitable that Tiffany can easily sing various genres. Being a Korean American, English is as easy as knowing how to breathe which gives her increased utility expanding her covers (the recent Rolling In The Deep comes to mind).

Highlights: Lady Marmalade; Rolling In The Deep; Hoot; Diamond; Rise & Shine

3. Yuri

- I 100% believe that Kwon Yuri is Girls’ Generation’s most balanced and versatile member and one of two severely underestimated singers in the group. While Yuri’s natural range is low, she has shown she can handle higher notes with relative ease (Into The New World).Yuri’s forte remains in deeper songs, so cutesy lines just don’t quite cut it (read: fit her image). Yuri unfortunately falls into the half of Soshi that doesn’t get many lines, but the few that she does get thrown her way get executed quite nicely.

Highlights: As Time Goes By; If; Oscar; Into The New World; Paparazzi

4. Seohyun

- Beloved maknae places at #4. Seohyun has a really soft and innocent voice, making her a perfect ballad singer. Honestly though, I can’t really think of anything else to say after it. Seohyun is fantastic at singing ballads, and while her voice can adapt to other genres, it’s very ordinary at best, which is a shame. Seohyun also lacks power, and the rare instances where she does showcase some power like in Twinkle show her reaching for those high notes. Aside from the Korean Americans and Taeyeon, Seohyun also has the strongest English enunciation (Way Back Into Love).

Highlights: Twinkle; Run Devil Run; Flying Duck; Journey

5. Jessica

- Jessica’s voice is one of the most recognizable in all of Korea. Pretty much no matter what she is singing, any avid follower of Korean music will be able to identify her voice without fail. Compared to Seohyun, Jessica is even better at singing medium tempo ballads than her, partly because of her mastery of high range.This same voice that is so strong on ballads and more serious natured songs very noticeably weak in other categories, more specifically cute pop music. While there are exceptions to both ends, Jessica is more at home with emotional ballads and so ranks fifth.

Highlights: One Year Later; How Great Is Your Love; Seoul Song; All My Love Is For You

6. Sunny

- Sunny has a very noticeable voice, tinted with the cutest of aegyo that becomes so familiar after a few listens. In many ways, she follows Jessica with their unique sound that is easy to listen to at times, but seems out of place at others. While Jessica excels at high ballads and slow melodies, Sunny’s forte is typically bubblegum pop and faster songs. However, because she’s got such a unique voice, it still sounds out of place in certain pop songs (Three) and sometimes just awkward overall (Paparazzi). It seems earlier (like way back), Sunny was able to sort of overcome her aegyo voice in releases like Girls’ Generation and Into The New World, which still sounded unique, but without the cutesy sound that may sort of “restrict” her in some of the songs I listed above.If Sunny’s work in future releases can mask the cute sound for more power I think she can really shine as a vocalist.

Highlights: I Love You, I Love You; Time Machine; Genie; Mistake

7. Sooyoung

- Sooyoung is the second member of which whose voice I find heavily underrated. The main problem being with such high caliber singers like Taeyeon and Seohyun why would you give Sooyoung and others more lines? That’s the primary fault in most if not all of SNSD’s music. Sooyoung’s comfort range lies in the lower half and is flexible enough to sound solid in most variants of their music, but she lacks the range to really be given any impressive lines. I would love to see a song by Sooyoung, Yuri, and Tiffany only. Maybe one of the possible rotations for the subunit? S.M., make it happen.

Highlights: Sway; Oh!; http://youtu.be/1ExGhLGKY0M

8. Hyoyeon

- Hyoyeon possesses unique voice #3 within the group. At first listen it’s kinda weird, not in the negative sense but in the “I’ve never heard a voice like this before” sense. Hyoyeon’s range is actually more expansive than most people would give second thought to, the most recent example being her notes in Maxstep. However, Hyoyeon’s representation in SNSD’s music is perhaps the worst out of anyone in Kpop and it’s extremely unfair. Okay, I understand she’s an unbelievable dancer but that doesn’t mean she can’t sing more than a four second line, right? Even in Maxstep, in which she was supposedly a member and not a feature, gets no solo vocal lines and is only there for less than half of the video. Fix your shit, S.M.

Highlights: Please Don’t Stop The Music; Into The New World; Snowy Wish

9. Yoona

- Unfortunately, someone has to come in last. Yoona is like Hyoyeon, where they both possess less expansive comfort zones than the others and aren’t given much time to showcase their ability but there are a few key differences. Yoona sounds stronger in the lower ranges and doesn’t have a distinct sound to her voice, which pretty much delegates her to a support vocal in any instance, as pretty much all the other members outshine her in other aspects. Yoona is kind of like the reverse version of 2NE1’s Dara. Whereas Dara is a very strong support singer with high range, Yoona works on lower range support like in Hoot but is also a strong transition voice like in All My Love Is For You. This low voice also lends her some rapping capability as seen in The Boys, so perhaps we’ll see some rap singing in the future.

Highlights: Introduce Me A Good Man; 4 Minutes; Girls’ Generation
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Girls’ Generation stands alongside 2NE1 and Brown Eyed Girls with some of the industry’s most diverse and talented singing rosters. If only there was more variety in line distribution, I’d love their vocals all the more.

[Review] Wonder Girls - Like Money (feat. Akon)

Vocals: 8 / 10

Not a fan of the autotune. Let me get that off my chest right away. It distorts Sohee and Hye Lim’s already only mediocre / soft voices, and in the latter’s case it almost makes it sound like she’s straining for some medium range notes which she shouldn’t be. Thankfully, Yenny and Sunye do quite the job of bailing them out with their high notes and fancy adlibs at the end. After seeing them live in Hong Kong this summer, Yenny really stands out as a strong vocalist who has solid versatility in belting out those power notes to sounding soft but sincere. Sunye on the other end has moving emotional vocals, as her parts at the end of the song are pleading and her voice reflects that. Akon also sings a chorus, and again the prevalent autotune decreases the appeal, oh well.

Appearance: 8 / 10

Most of the looks seem reminiscent of some sort of “Nobody” meets TRON mashup, a little futuristic and retro at the same time. It’s not awkward enough to be creepy but the use of outfits and heavy makeup in order to match the scenery seems a little reaching. The girls are plenty attractive without too much makeup (see “Like This”) and the futuristic setting in the music video doesn’t need to involve high amounts of makeup. For that though, Yubin and Yenny stand apart from the others, mainly because of their hair, ahaha.

Dance: 8 / 10

For some reason I found the movements (positional movement, not the dance motions themselves) similar to “Nobody” which makes the dance seem more simpler, and by definition that is more welcoming to outside listeners, since the Wonder Girls are not known for their high power choreography to begin with. There’s also some solo flashy silhouette (oxymoron much) dancing when Akon is singing which helped ease the switches between him and all the girls dancing. Overall it’s a little flashy, a little sassy, and a little sexy, and so it earns a solid score.

Rap: 8 / 10

I think if Yubin’s English was a little more refined in terms of pronunciation this would have been scored higher. As it is, there are some awkward words which make her / the rap sound funny. Akon is technically (or at least by sound) rap singing but he does a pretty good job of it, which I wasn’t really expecting. Then again I don’t listen to Akon so I have no idea what his comfort range is in terms of his music. I do like the exchange between Yubin and Akon at the end of her sequence, a pleasant mixture of singing and rapping. Some good execution / presentation marred by a little mispronunciation.

Music Video: 7 / 10

I cannot wait until JYP starts shoving his face into 2PM music videos, that is if they ever recover from the shame that is Nichkhun’s drunk driving shenanigans. Anyways! This music video is an unfortunate deviation from the nice “Like This” MV but I guess I couldn’t deny that it wouldn’t happen. I paid no attention to the first minute (or however long the intro is) because I quite frankly didn’t care, only noting JYP’s appearance at which I exuded pure unbridled rage. The previously mentioned mix of “Nobody” and TRON gives the scenery a nice touch of colour, but the various showing of random body parts floating around on an operating table countered that bizarrely. Upon rewatching the music video I noticed (some of) the girls don’t actually get a lot of close-ups, either, which shifts more emphasis to (a) the dancing and (b) the weird robotic surgery going on. By the end of the video though the intro surgery stuff fades away and it’s more or less focused on the choreography. When Akon shows up half of the camera is on him and the other half of the girls dancing, which had to have been odd considering they weren’t singing but I guess I’d have preferred showing them dancing as opposed to more creepy surgery so I guess that’s a plus?

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Overall: 78 / 100

The release of “Like Money” marks the return of the Wonder Girls to the American market. While it is not the shining standout “Nobody” was, the song certainly has its own unique appeal with a strong showing of vocals, catchy choruses, and appearances by Akon. Throw in a neatly coloured music video and overall it’s got a nice vibe to it. The Wonder Girls have grown by leaps and bounds since the days of wanting “nobody, nobody but you” and I’ll be anticipating future releases from the girls.

[Review] S.M. Dance Unit - Maxstep

Vocals: 8 / 10

This is a dance unit. Each member is pretty much the top dancer in their respective group and as such their vocals are not the best. Luhan and Taemin are the exceptions and they did really well. Henry also has a pleasant voice and his awesome high note definitely took me by surprise. While I knew he was one of the two options (the other being Taemin) was still like a “Woah that’s awesome”. Taemin’s “Maxstep” parts at the end was also nice. Hyoyeon’s chorus is good at the English is not out of place, showing improvement since “The Boys” and even has some higher notes thrown in there. Eunhyuk sings very little and Kai not at all, which is alright with me considering these two have the weakest voices of the six. A good choice by S.M.

Appearance: 8 / 10

Eunhyuk looks awkward with hair down, and the random colour addition to the side didn’t really help. He would’ve totally looked better if he had his hair spiked like in “Sexy, Free, & Single”. Given everyone else didn’t have straight hair (not counting Hyoyeon), Eunhyuk looked like the oddball among the group. Henry really hasn’t changed at all since his original appearance, his baby face is eternal. What the flying hell happened to Taemin’s eyebrows? This isn’t like Taeyeon in “Time Machine”. Taemin’s eyebrows are literally not there anymore. This is remedied during one of the solo shots where his hair down (the best looking one) but the others were creepy as hell. Luhan and Kai are looking good, too. Luhan should go back to his “History” look, really fitting. Let’s talk about the feature of the show, Kim Hyoyeon. For starters, I would have prefered she switched her hairstyles. The solo shots were flawless but the long split hair during the dance sequences looked messy with all the movement. Her red jacket / black outfit clashed with the guys’ outfits and made her stand out really nicely. The choice of outfits were a little iffy for the solos except Hyoyeon but other than that, no complaints.

Dance: 9 / 10

Okay, the dance is strong, but maybe I hold some of the members like Hyoyeon, Eunhyuk, and Taemin with too high regard (rightfully so) because I found 50% of the choreography underwhelming. I can’t really pinpoint a specific time period where I found the choreography lacking but it was more like various bursts of disappointment. The interesting sequence involving Henry after the first chorus was really neat. There is still a fair amount of individual expression though which I like, and once Hyoyeon arrived the dance shifted to become more centered on her. Overall, the execution by all the members makes up for a lack of interesting / intense choreography.

Rap: 8 / 10

The good: Kai. The bad: Eunhyuk. The great: Hyoyeon. That is the sequence if raps in a nutshell. Kai does a solid job with his lines although I did not even think for a second that his very first line was actually English. Eunhyuk is rather disappointing, per usual (although admittedly his work in “Spy” wasn’t half bad). Hyoyeon destroyed everything with her rap. Fierce and up to speed on the tempo and everything. Well done. I’ve said before, S.M. Could possibly take advantage of Hyoyeon and Tiffany’s rapping potential, we’ll just have to see if they really do anything with it. Kai and Hyoyeon carry Eunhyuk to a 8 out of 10.

Music Video: 7 / 10

For what it’s worth, this music video is for a dance heavy group, so I didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary and there wasn’t. There’s even a car for little Taemin to be serious facing in, which I can only assume is a Hyundai. For some reason, Henry and Eunhyuk are together for the solo shots, maybe because S.M. feels the need to remind everyone that Henry Lau is a member of Super Junior M and that he does still in fact exist and has not rotted away in the company basement due to inactivity. Taemin gets a car and Kai gets a chair, how unfair is that? Those lazy punks. Thankfully they receive karma by being forced inside some bizarre geometric figure for the other half of their solos. Luhan got the most boring box out of them all but he seemed like he was having fun. Hyoyeon’s mirrors did well to show her off and she exuded some charisma in the chorus near the end. Bland music video but there wasn’t really much expectations to begin with.

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Overall: 80 / 100

Since the preview of this song existed during the 2011 Gayo Daejun, I’m not sure what I was going to see or hear from this but overall the vocals are pleasant to listen to and the dance is solid. The boring music video is offset by the fact that it’s from S.M. and it’s a dance specific group. Pretty good work. Now let’s see a dance version of the music video so I don’t have to see too many close-ups of Taemin’s lack of eyebrows.

[Review] Ailee - I Will Show You

Vocals: 10 / 10

Was there ever any doubt? Even if you don’t follow Ailee’s escapades on Immortal Song 2 and don’t know of her talent, Ailee’s work in this song is amazing. Like everyone else, I was tricked into thinking this would be a slow, emotional ballad from the beginning. Pleasantly surprised by the breakout chorus, Ailee put out a dominating performance, consisting of high powerful belts, sorrowful notes, low husky lines, Ailee does a lot in this song. While I thought the bridge (which sounds mysteriously similar to “I Will Survive”) was out of place at first, I came to like it as a marker between the more confident Ailee in the prior choruses and the weaker and emotional Ailee in the final chorus. The transition from the second chorus to the start of the bridge could’ve been executed more smoothly, though. Everything is perfectly within range, the English is acceptable, and nothing is extraneous or unnecessary. 10점 만점에 10점!

Appearance: 10 / 10

Am I the only one who thinks that the only difference between the “ugly” Ailee and the “pretty” Ailee is that the former is just ridiculously cute in the pigtails and the latter is just downright attractive? Goodness G.O. You have no tastes. Ailee’s eyes are the highlight when she “transforms” shining bright blue and I was staring at her eyes with every close-up. Ailee’s hair is also flawless even in the more goofy styles (like the one particularly reminiscent of Dara).

Dance: 8 / 10

Choreography is never the focus of Ailee’s songs / music videos, but for what it is worth it’s simple and that’s enough to make me like it. Maybe in the future we’ll see some crazy choreography out of Ailee to show us that she’s indeed one of the best all around artists there is. Some of the sequences where there’d be one or two backup dancers standing still was weird. Usually I’d leave Ailee / whoever is the main stand in place while the others move around but hmm what do I know I’m not a choreographer.

Music Video: 8 / 10

This is a straightforward music video. See what I did there?! The setting looks good minus the rather creepy hospital-esque location at the beginning and bridge. All the people who previously ignored her (while she was so freaking adorable) suddenly drool over her asking for dates and marriage. Ailee initially rejects the now serious G.O. and talks about wanting better, described by the chorus but eventually seems to break down, showing the emotional rift and finally smiles after being hugged by G.O. (that lucky man). All in all it’s a good compliment. Extra credit to G.O. for some of the most stupidly forced and hilarious facial expressions I have ever seen in any music video ever.

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Overall: 90 / 100

This is a strong message backed by powerful vocals and a solid instrumental. Honestly, no one would ever recognize Ailee for the rookie that she is. But that is only by definition, and Ailee has proven time and time again she is no ordinary rookie solo amongst a sea of new groups.

[Review] Miss A - I Don't Need A Man

Vocals: 8 / 10

The lightheartedness of the song compliments Miss A’s voices well. The song doesn’t need to have standout belts or crazy falsettos, not that anyone in the group would be really capable of pulling those off, anyway. Suzy does good work on the chorus and slowly rising as a support vocalist. I do think the range is a little high for Min, Jia, and Fei but they make it sound nice, so i’sallgood. The use of the background “Hey!” “What!” and especially “Jinjja?” were really nice additions and executed perfectly. I want to bring attention to / praise the standout distribution of lines in this song. Miss A has consistently been excellent at balancing portions, never overexposing or overshadowing any one member. They are a prime example that other management labels could learn from for their small numbered groups: KARA, 4minute, SHINee, among others.

Appearance: 10 / 10

Absolutely no disappointments here. Everyone looks perfect regardless if they dressed as a woman or man. Min’s highlights look awesome and it’s a refreshing return to her debut look, while Suzy’s wavy hairstyle is breathtaking. Fei’s curly hair seems a little out of place compared to the rest of the group with straighter styles but it’s nice to see her continue to experiment with different styles. On the opposite side of the spectrum, I feel Jia could change it up every once in a while, it’s been too much straight hair and bangs from her. The “male” counterparts for each member were extremely legit, too. Fei looks absolutely badass with her hair like that and the stylish cap. Min…looks more or less the same, just in a shirt and tie, ha. Jia’s hair was kind of a mess but it’s characteristic of her plus she’s got dat cute puppy. Suzy’s finger mustache wins life, that is all. The outfits are cute and straightforward. The matching outfits for the dance sequences (the polka dot + shorts and black set) are the best in my opinion.

Dance: 8 / 10

The dance has a lot of leg movement. I say “a lot” not to sound disapproving but in explaining the main focus of the choreography being on the legs. The super furious hand waving indicating “I don’t need a man I don’t need a man” were fun, and the other instances of choreography involve the members just being loose around each other, independent of each other but as one full unit, enjoying the carefree lives that they live. Jia’s dance break isn’t really a break since it’s during the chorus and it was random at best but it’s a nice addition. In all honesty the music video doesn’t exactly highlight the dance too much so until a dance specific version is released I’ll leave it at that.

Rap: 9 / 10

Jia is probably one of the better rappers out there - or at least specifically under JYP. She can rap, sing, dance, and is pretty damn flexible, too. This rap is powerful yet smooth, perfect for the occasion. With Suzy hazing made her rap debut in “Touch”. Min hops in for the latter half of this song and does a nice job of it, the rap being more suited than the verses for her lower voice. Here’s hoping we will see Fei rapping in the next release.

Music Video: 8 / 10

I swear JYP has to find some way to shove his face into every music video he creates. Other than the intro sequence, this is a relatively standard music video. A lot of people have commented on how Miss A showed a lot of swag in this video, but I don’t think it’s so much swag as it is quirkiness. Jia’s facial expressions during her rap the perfect embodiment of being quirky. They are independent ladies and so they are free to do as they please, not worrying about relying on men’s money, or borrowing from their parents. This is their life that they have worked at and they will enjoy it! Yes, there are obvious pretty sets and empty rooms blah blah blah, but the MV gives a general sense of understanding from that and shows that the girls are recording on set and they even join together “off camera” to relax and hip hop their way around the cameras and staff. This is a nice feeling / vibe even if it ultimately leads to the girls walking into another set. My goodness did you guys see Suzy? This girl is practically oozing charisma and it’s incredible.

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Overall: 86 / 100

Seems like 2012 is the year of overestimated riffs, what I imagined would be quite irritating in the strings in EXO’s “What Is Love”, saxophone in Secret’s “Poison”, and the oriental instrumental here end up being very pleasant. Miss A really hasn’t disappointed ever since debut for me. Release after release, they continue to improve in skill and increase in popularity. From the fragile and emotional image in “Touch”, they’ve become strong women who don’t need no man! Gotta love the quirky tune the song brings, I just can’t sing it out loud!

[Review] Younha - Run

Departing from the classical structure of my music reviews, I have to write a little differently to talk about Younha. Younha has no fancy choreographies to show off, and hardly ever raps in her pop rock dominant style of music. So, the only viable options to talk about are her vocals and the music video, both of which I will rank out of 25.
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Vocals: 25 / 25

I have said this numerous times and I will say it numerous times more, Younha is hands down the best vocalist in South Korea. Yeah, she is under some serious competition with the rising powerhouses like Ailee and Hyorin but for the moment she remains #1 and will be there for some time. Younha miraculously blends enough power and proper emotion into anything she sings. Between quality control, high levels of energy, an innocent / cute sound, lower husky voice, beautiful falsettos, Younha can do it all. Having all these talents grants her incredible versatility in singing bubblegum pop in “1,2,3” to emotional ballads like “Broke Up Today” and powerful songs in “Hero”. “Run” in particular emphasizes her smooth vocals and happy / upbeat emotions, along with some brilliant falsettos. You can practically be swept away if you just close your eyes and follow the song. With the vocals and music video, it really flows well together, almost as if truly running. Needless to say, Younha does not disappoint.

Music Video: 23 / 25

This is a very straighforward and colourful (okay, it’s mainly black and white, but still) music video! The song is called “Run” and Younha is running! And looking good, while at it. Younha is one of the original short cut wearers, and while it’s a great / cute look for her, the long hair is far more flattering and more mature. Younha’s eyes shine brightly (a sort of radiant bright, different from the Tiffany moonshine eyes or Sulli’s eye smiles), especially at the beginning of the video. The various camera angles and effects were perhaps a little excessive (like the turbine part, what) but they did compliment and enhance the straightforward video. Throughout the crazy effects and flares, Younha is running for her life amongst flying debris, some creeper on a carriage, and a metal whale(?). How she managed to land on her feet after getting absolutely slammed by a large chair is beyond me. You mean she’s athletic, too? Man that’s practically not fair! All in all it’s a different type of video for a different type of song than what most Korean music is used to.

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Overall: 96 / 100

After what seemed to be an eternity, Younha returned with a spectacular album with standouts in “Run” and “Would We Have Changed”. “Run” is a refreshing ballad that will surely lighten your mood, and is a song which covers Younha’s struggles when she was under Lion Media.

[Review] Psy - Gangnam Style

Vocals: 7 / 10

Compared to “Right Now”, there is even less singing in this song. The verses are pretty much all rap and so is the very simple chorus, leaving the buildup to chorus and the infamous “Ayyyyyy sexy ladayy” segments as the only ones with vocals, and as such a similarly clean, short, sweet and to the point marking for Psy. Think of it this way, if Psy was a really talented singer it must just be a little unfair for everyone else in the competition!

Appearance: 8 / 10

Has Psy changed since the last time we saw him? No not really, at least not that I could distinguish any significant weight gain or loss from the get go, I knew I would / should be expecting more of the same, anyways. The song is about living life and as such, all the costumes are clean, simple, and nice, leaving another impression of being down to earth. I did not and could not even realize that Big Bang’s Daeseng and Seungri were hidden in the video, either. They are supposedly the two old men playing chess / board game together during the explosion scene. Highlights go to the young Hwang Minwoo (I think that is his name) and Yoo Jae Suk in a striking yellow. Hyuna, please get some eyebrows, thanks.

Dance: 10 / 10

How many celebrities around the world have tried to mimic this dance? That alone should tell you the scale of how big this dance is, mostly because it just looks so freaking stupid! What else is there to talk about? Go join a “Gangnam Style” flashmob and you will see for yourself (although admittedly most of the attempts in the United States has just left everyone dancing around like total idiots, technically the same result, but just a tad different). Little Minwoo’s dance is quite the killer as he shows off his skills and happy facial expressions, while the nation’s MC Yoo Jae Suk literally crushes Psy in a pseudo dance battle. The elevator scene will easily go down as one of the top moments in the video alongside the “Ayyyyy sexy laday” parts. Hyuna’s dance was uhh, strange? I guess one would feel good if they walked into a subway and an attractive girl with no eyebrows was doing a dance for you before breaking out into the horse riding dance.

Rap: 10 / 10

What makes Psy’s raps stand out is the quality, not necessarily the quantity, although there sure is quite the quantity. Psy provides the high level energy and even some power in certain lines which only heightens the appeal of the song. If you just include the faces Psy makes while rapping, it makes it all the more funny. In my opinion it would be worth having / seeing G-Dragon and or T.O.P. Come sing this song with Psy, with YG’s signature rappers, you know stuff will go down.

Music Video: 10 / 10

Just watch the damn video again, it’ll speak way more than what I can put into words. :3

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Overall: 90 / 100

While Psy’s song may currently be the entire world’s new love, one can only imagine the thoughts and plans behind that man’s brain as he prepares for his next album. Will it shock and disgust us? Or will it captivate us and cause us to love him all the more? Regardless of which action he takes, it’s clear Psy has been a significant marker in Korean music’s expansive history. In the meantime, keep on Gangnam stylin’.