[Bonus] Best Of 2013 (#4-#1)

4, Girl’s Day - Expectation

Girl’s Day made a sexy splash this year with leading titles “Expectation” and “Female President”, and “Expectation” is certainly the better of many. The “overalls” choreography turned heads and the vocal work out of Minah and especially Sojin really caught my attention. Minah had been praised for her voice but I was really attracted to Sojin’s lines throughout the song. The support vocals from Hyeri and Yura were also rather impressive, again, considering that all I had heard out of Girl’s Day’s vocals prior to this was how Minah was the “star singer”. The vocals certainly make this song, giving “Expectation” that “sexy but classy” theme that’s becoming ever more popular. The rather atrocious rap bridge however, should be nothing more than a bad memory. If Yura had a more solid rap, I’d have been more considerate in possibly placing Girl’s Day in the top 3. This song definitely exceeded expectations for Girl’s Day, and helped catapault them forward into the upper echelons of girl groups.

3. Ailee - U&I

While I classify the list by fours for aesthetics, the final 3 songs are in a tier of their own on this setlist. Ever since the earliest drafts, I had these 3 standing together at the very top and for good reason. Ailee will start us off with powerful vocals and a main focus in choreography, the latter of which is something we just don’t usually see out of Ailee, but excellent nonetheless. Regarding the vocals, what more is there to say about this girl? Ailee has already established herself as one of the most powerful and versatile voices in Kpop, and “U&I” certainly brought her absolute strongest points into the light. As a supplement, the music video is full of colour and bling, but what makes the MV is Ailee’s acting and charisma coupled with her sassy use of English. “U&I” helped lead off a very successful “A’s Doll House” album.

2. SPICA - Tonight

There are few groups who can boast having a talented vocal roster all around, and SPICA is one of them. Not many other than SPICA could pull off “Tonight” into the extremely impressive track like they did. No other song (or group, for that matter) can take the opening and build up into the explosive chorus quite like how “Tonight” and SPICA did. That alone is incredibly impressive but the hype doesn’t stop there, as each member takes part in keeping the energy and momentum to the very last line. The surprise rapping is used as a good transition between more high energy vocals and has a solid rhyme scheme / addicting aura around it (mysteriously akin to the rapping in EXO’s “Baby Don’t Cry”). The execution in “Tonight” is perfect bar none, and even the muffled “Hey hey hey” during the chorus doesn’t make me cringe or put this song away.

1. 9MUSES - Wild

You’ll notice a recurring theme in the final 3 songs on this list. And that theme revolves around the power, energy, and execution of the vocals. 9MUSES were extremely busy this year, and the catalyst for their success and growth in popularity was the mid-year release of “Wild”, There are plethora of reasons why I believe this song is the best this year. “Wild” has extremely exciting vocals from start to finish, from the high energy singing all around to the tricky bridge that jumps into the final chorus. The instrumental for this track is one of the best, with aggression and a sound which compliments and augments the high level vocals and fast-paced rapping. Speaking of, Erin easily takes the title of “Best Rapper 2013” with the break in “Wild”, and teammate Eunji doesn’t disappoint with her part, either. Lastly, the fanservice is off the charts. The lip shots were extremely odd, but everything else got “Wild” banned by MOGEF faster than haters could even say anything about. With the best long-range energetic vocals, incredible execution, beast rap breaks, aggressive instrumentals, and uncontrollable fanservice, “Wild” pushes 9MUSES into the #1 song of 2013.
~
The list this year, in my opinion, isn’t as impressive at the set from 2012, but the finesse of the upper half or upper third really steps up and way above. Unlike last year’s ballad overflow, this year’s music has much more power and energy while still being vocal-centric. 2014 is gonna be quite the exciting year, since groups like Girls’ Generation and Dal Shabet are making comebacks, and with the departure of the contemporary KARA and Wonder Girls, rising groups like 9MUSES, Girl’s Day, and Sistar are really going to grow and establish themselves. Next month (in less than a week, actually), I’ll be going to Hong Kong for school, so there may be a lull in some early January reviews pending on if I can get some bonus writings out and pre-publish them on Tumblr.

Above all, Merry Christmas, and keep on Kpoppin’.

[Bonus] Best Of 2013 (#8-#5)

8. Dynamic Duo - Hot Wings (feat. Hyorin)

Unlike last year, there isn’t much presence from the males on this list. But Dynamic Duo is here to help us a little. “Hot Wings” is excellent showing of the rapping off Choiza and Gaeko, and along with LeeSSang’s “Tears” these two songs have pioneered the hip-hop realm this year. The medium paced song is ridiculously catchy as far as the chorus goes, and with the charisma and talent of Dynamic Duo, the song is just pleasant from start to finish. Speaking of, Hyorin’s guest appearance is incredible, with her sultry high voice making the highlight of the second half of the song.

7. Sistar - Give It To Me

Last year, Sistar made rank #10 off “Alone” and the classy sexiness. This time, with “Give It To Me”, the song is a straight upgrade from “Alone”. Bora’s rap is upgraded, the vocal work between Soyu, Dasom, and Hyorin are upgraded, the sexiness is upgrades, and the pace and MV are also upgraded. While the chorus may have been on the bland side for a Sistar release, the fluid breathy verses from Hyorin and Soyu more than make up for things. With the prominence of Sistar this year, and the most likely departures of Wonder Girls and KARA, Sistar has even more room to thrive for the upcoming 2014 year.

6. EXO - Baby Don’t Cry

EXO finally released the official track “Baby Don’t Cry” even though the teasers came out over 2 years ago, and it’s just as glorious as was teased. Jongdae is impressive, and the support vocalists from Baekhyun and Lay especially, were very strong. The chorus is one of the best out of ballads this year. The song itself is very consistent, and while Chanyeol and Tao’s raps came seemingly out of nowhere, the rap was very soft and kept with the rest of the song, making the rap breaks one of the better ones seen this year. There’s no MV or choreography, so EXO would earn near full marks on the impressive vocals and complimentary rapping.

5. Younha - Not There

How do I describe Younha’s “Not There”. It’s so…different in sound and structure than what I’m used to. While I would never classify this song as “indie”, compared to what Younha usually releases this certainly feels “indie”. While I did appreciate the variant with Eluphant’s multiple rapping sequences which were very good, the version in the music video with heavier strings instrumentals was much cleaner and I appreciated the softer background noise paired with Younha’s precious vocals. I preferred the clean voice accompanied by the various instruments than the rapping support with a more electronic sound. Younha’s 2013 year was very productive, and while none of her songs made the very top, she’s comfortably placed two songs in the best of the best.

[Bonus] Best Of 2013 (#12-#9)

I would characterize the 2013 year as a year ripe with drama. Dating exposure was crazy, and relationships were discovered everywhere. This year also saw and might mark the “end” of some veteran staple groups potentially losing members like KARA, inactivity from TVXQ, and future army enlistment in Big Bang. However, there was some damn good music this year from January to December, so we’ll be covering my top 12 best of this year.
~
12. Davichi - Be Warmed (feat. Verbal Jint)

Davichi has been steadily progressing throughout the years, and “Be Warmed” is something moving that I haven’t seen since the likes of “Don’t Say Goodbye”. The instrumental at the opening is pretty, leading into the strong vocals. The chorus has had me hooked since the release, and it’s rare a ballad has the quality of making me sing along every time. Verbal Jint is a solid rapper and his appearance is more than welcome, but his lines seemed lackluster compared to the power vocals from Minkyung and Haeri. Nonetheless, Davichi’s powerful and emotional vocals push past the mediocrity from Verbal Jint into 12th place.

11. JeA - Days & Nights (feat. Eric Benet)

Funnily enough, the other song that was competing with JeA for this placing was M&N’s “Tonight”. Nonetheless, some variant of Brown Eyed Girls earns a spot on the list. The emotional and soulful sound from JeA and Eric Benet work wonders throughout the song, and the pronunciation was excellent all around from JeA’s English to Eric’s Korean. Both of the exchanges were really surprising and impressive. The chorus gets caught in a loop for a while, with a good bridge in crescendo, and the harmonization work between the two can be equally addicting.

10. Younha - The Reason We Broke Up

Younha at first glance, took a fall from her spot last year at #2 with her placing here at #10 with “The Reason We Broke Up” but don’t worry. “The Reason We Broke Up” is much softer and less complex, but the beauty lies in the simplicity and beauty of Younha’s vocals. There’s plenty of variance and a delightful mixture of emotions, consistency, and power. It’s friendly, moving, and met with a artistically crafted music video.

9. Davichi - Because I’m Missing You Today

Oh hi Davichi, I didn’t expect to see you so soon. But here we are. “Because I’m Missing You Today” is full of bright and lively emotion as long as the song’s title (in both English and Korean). Compared to the darker more intense sounds of “Be Warmed”, “Because I’m Missing You Today” keeps the same tempo and paces very strongly (since there is no awkward rap break) and is matched by Minkyung and Haeri’s serious tones that carry a tint of cheer in them. My only complaint is that the belts during the second chorus and on are so quiet and restricted, and I do love me some Davichi belts.

[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”.

[Review] EXO - Miracles In December

Vocals: 25 / 25

Jongdae. Jongdae. Jongdae. (Yeah I’m never really gonna be able to call him “Chen”). Thank heavens this song was made for him to be the star of. He does the bulk of the work and is the highlight of the “trio that isn’t an official subunit but only has 3 members”. D.O is also really good for his parts, and if “What Is Love” had to have a more balanced lineup and even better vocals at the cost of a slower pace, “Mirales In December” would surely be. Luhan has never really impressed before this song, so there’s bonus for that. Baekhyun is quality in the Korean version, and a little on the mediocre side during the Mandarin version if only because of his lackluster Chinese skills. I almost deducted a single point off this, but thankfully Jongdae more than makes up for Baekhyun’s subpar Chinese pronunciation.

Music Video: 15 / 25

Hmm. This music video… There have been plenty of music videos with this “structure” but almost seems excessively crowded with clips for all 12 members. Other than that, there’s not much else to say. This is a ballad, so there are no choreographies to show off, or a plethora of charismatic solo shots, nor extra “scenes” to draw off of considering there are only three main members. The box scenery is quite lovely, keeping up to the expectations from anyone under S.M., since their company is so versed in this regard.

~

Overall: 80 / 100

This is a beautiful ballad from EXO. Both versions are just as good, while a mediocre MV won’t deal a devastating blow to the score. Seems like EXO (and / or S.M.), however, is only capable of this high standard of ballads when the whole group isn’t involved, as “What Is Love”, “Angel”, “Baby Don’t Cry”, and now “Miracles In December” are very impressive ballads that only utilize the talented vocalists. Whether or not this is a good thing, I leave up to you to decide.

[Review] M&N - Tonight

Vocals: 10 / 10

During this past January when I talked about some of the best vocalists, I mentioned Narsha in the “Wild Card” category because of her sweet and innocent voice, something that sort of betrays her age. This song is no exception. Narsha’s bright and lively vocals last throughout from start to finish, which make “Tonight” a very enjoyable listen. There’s nothing extraordinary, but everything is certainly above average (good!). The English in the Korean version is solid, but what’s truly impressive is the English version. I didn’t know what to expect since Narsha isn’t known for being fluent in pronunciation, but holy this blew all expectations out of the water. Soothing, sweet, appropriate vocals earn Narsha a perfect score.

Rap: 10 / 10

It’s hard to put down Miryo’s talent, and this is a pretty good reason why. Miryos tame ferocity compliments Narsha’s sweet vocals and since the distribution is about half and half (or possibly 60 / 40 in Narsha’s favor), there’s good balance and a back and forth exchange between the two voices. Just like Narsha and her vocals, Miryo’s rap in both versions are splendid, but again, the English work is what really surprises me and is what I enjoy the most about “Tonight”.

Music Video: 5 / 10

I know the MV was essentially a teaser or preview of this new subunit, but man this was disappointing. Yeah there’s plenty of eye candy, but that’s literally the point of this MV. Oh well. Say, is that the same lollipop from Miss A’s “Hush”? Guess those are popular or something, now. I knew this was gonna hurt the overall score, so let’s see how badly.

~

Overall: 83 / 100

Alright, so the MV didn’t murk the score the way I thought possible (given past songs with outstanding scores outside of the MV). But that’s great news, since “Tonight” is a clam refresher that was executed superbly between Miryo and Narsha. Good work, and I’m anticipating future releases from M&N and other possible BEG subunits.

[Review] 2NE1 - Missing You

Vocals: 25 / 25

2NE1 really pulled out all the stops for “Missing You”, which I haven’t really seen since the likes of “Lonely” and “Ugly”. Every member does work, and what I enjoy the most about the song is the balance between line distribution and appropriate parts. The light background further enhances the vocals, which is another plus. Each member seems to embody / put in a different aspect for their voice in this piece, something I really enjoy. CL has the wavering emotion, Dara the serene fragility, Minzy the innocent power, and Bom the vibrant colour. Everything is in place, from the assignment of verses, minimal use of good Englsh, and simple chorus. The ending of the song is very confusing and misleading, though, as I thought we’d be going into a final powerful chorus (especially with the instrumental in crescendo).

Music Video: 17 / 25

This is a tame music video to accompany a serious and emotional song. The video is simple, but refreshing. Is that car the same one from “I Love You”? That would be some incredible consistency if so. Dara looked stunning in the pinned up blonde (the chess set shots), and I think Minzy is due for a different style soon, but she’s rocking the current colours. Bom…is still an enigma between doll-like beauty and doll-like creepiness. I’m choosing not to comment on CL’s scene, but it’s refreshing to see her back in black. By the way, I totally didn’t miss the “21” in Roman numerals on the ground.

~

Overall: 84 / 100

2NE1 has been all over the place. They’ve wanted you to “Go Away”, not cared (“I Don’t Care”) and felt “Lonely” and “Ugly”, while toggling between loving and hating (“I Love You”, “Hate You”). Now, they’re “Missing You”, and it’s a quality song having amazing vocals that is supported by the light MV. 2NE1 can certainly do 2NE1, but this impression is just as strong.

[Review] 9MUSES - Glue

Now that finals are over, we’ll embark on “The 12 Days Before Christmas”, where I’ll be putting out reviews almost daily leading into the “Best Of 2013” series, which will end on Christmas Day. We’ll start with one of the more personally anticipated comebacks in 9MUSES

~

Vocals: 9 / 10

“Glue” reminds me of “Gun” quite a lot, between the line distribution (as best as it could be for such a large group), quality work from the lead / main vocalists, and very strong synergy. The addition of a really solid bridge and extra vocal treats from Kyungri at the end help boost the score further. However, “Glue” isn’t getting the perfect score that “Gun” received. The main reasons are because “Glue” lacks in power, even despite the additional belting from Kyungri. The whole song sounds much softer, which is both positive given the nature of the girls’ voices but is also negative with the more harsh instrumentals. Sungah and Minha really step up in this song, while Sera and Kyungri are as good as ever.

Appearance: 9 / 10

Hyemi. Erin. Sungah. The three stood out way more than the others, while Hyuna, Kyungri, and Sera would comprise the “middle” of the pack. Minha also looks stunning, and Sem continues to be sort of a “baseline” for the group. She doesn’t really stand out, but she has this very basic style of beauty that is probably thanks to her fierce eyes and facial features. There are two “topics” that prevent this from being perfect. The first, is Eunji. While she’s absurdly skinny, I’m concerned about the hair. The pinned up style is gorgeous and extremely flattering, but the short hair let down in the other solo shot frames her face awkwardly. The second, as some friends have shared sentiments about, are the atrocious red outfits for the dance solo shots and the like. I don’t know why these red outfits happened, but they really shouldn’t have. I’d be willing to bet 9MUSES would’ve looked fantastic if they were wearing black or white throughout.

Dance: 7 / 10

Nothing really stands out in a positive or negative light regarding 9MUSES’ choreography. If that sounds familiar, it’s because I described the choreography of “Gun” and “Wild” that way, and the same continues to hold true for 9MUSES in “Glue”. There’s nothing wrong with having average choreography, considering the group’s strengths is in their vocalists and star rapper. That being said, 9MUSES did mix stuff around this time. They split the dancing at the chorus into two teams, which give both an illusion that there are some backup dancers on the stage and put the emphasis on the right half. The positioning during the rap sequences was also more custom and based on having a center fanning out in all directions. These little “tricks” made the dance look better than just your average Kpop dance, but it did hurt one of 9MUSES’ strongest dance skills: synchronization.

Rap: 6 / 10

This would have been perfect if it was Erin rapping alone, but while Eunji’s work in “Wild” was on par, her lines in “Glue” leave a lot to be desired. So much that Erin gets a perfect score for her half of the rapping whereas Eunji gets a single point. Erin seriously continues to impress and is en route to be the top girl group rapper for 2013, with enough sass, energy, and has the voice. It’s a shame Eunji got such terrible lines and mediocre execution. I would’ve liked to see Erin carry Eunji out of this terrible score, but I have to treat this the same way I did with the vocals in Sistar19’s “Gone Not Around Any Longer”.

Music Video: 5 / 10

This is a standard music video, which would have normally gotten extra points for the glorious eye candy (since that’s all the video is to begin with) but the red outfits and equally obnoxious background / box for the red outfit scenes bring the bonus back down. All that spinning around the solo shots though, made me feel a little dizzy.

~

Overall: 72 / 100

While “Glue” was not the most impressive comeback, it’s still a solid release added to the long line of 2013 releases that 9MUSES has thrown out and will only continue to grow in popularity. With all this group work, I would be delighted to see some subunit appearances out of the group for 2014.

[Bonus] Best Of Pioneers

I wanted to show appreciation for a select set of songs which helped bring me into the Kpop fold. There’s a mixture of nostalgia, first impressions, relevance in time, catchiness, etc. On Thanksgiving weekend, I’m thankful for these Kpop songs, as they’re responsible for attracting and keeping me in the Kpop world.

12. Wheesung - Insomnia

- Arguably one of the first of the Kpop videos I’ve ever watched, and despite it technically being a cover, Wheesung does a delightful job with the vocals and impressed. The flashes between scenes coupled with the dance would almost make it seem as if the vocals weren’t the main sellling point. The MV was pretty boring, but being one of the first videos, I had no idea what a stereotypical MV it was just yet.

11. Wonder Girls - Nobody

- It’s hard to argue the explosiveness that Nobody had during the 2009 year. The pretty dresses, catchy dance, and equally as catchy lyrics make for one hell of a song, along with a fierce rap segment. Speaking of, Yubin made a strong debut showing for rappers of any group.

10. KARA - Lupin

- Lupin was my second exposure to KARA after Mister, and what a follow-up punch. Lupin delivers in the powerful introduction and instrumentals, with Nicole’s rapping being very strong. When I first listened to this song though, the latter half of the song wasn’t as appealing to me, for whatever reasons it may have had that effect.

9. Younha - Ima Ga Daisuki

- Okay so this song is technically a Japanese song, but hear me out. This was my first Younha song ever, and therefore also my first Younha video ever, so it as to hold a special place in my heart. It’s a addictive pop rock style that instantly drew me to her and her works.

8. Wonder Girls - So Hot

- Even though Wonder Girls’ Nobody was extremely addicting, I was drawn more to So Hot because of the standard pop sound, and the chorus was equally as catchy as Nobody’s was. Serving this song as a follow-up to Nobody, Yubin continued to deliver on the rapping.

7. Super Junior-M - Blue Tomorrow

- So just two more songs later, we’ve got a Chinese song. During early drafts of this list, Super Girl was on the list but Blue Tomorrow wasn’t, until I realized that the very foundations of what I enjoyed and was attracted to in Kpop are the vocals, and the vocals in Blue Tomorrow are arguably one of the best on the entire set. Throw in a very serious MV, and you’ve got one incredible ballad.

6. Big Bang - Koe Wo Kikasete

- I promise that this will be the last “foreign” song on the list, heh. Big Bang’s debut for me wasn’t the stellar Haru Haru or Lies, but Koe Wo Kikasete. The rapping of G-Dragon and T.O.P were easily the highlight, since not many of the groups had standout rappers, but the vocal work between Taeyang and Daesung was even better.

5. Girls’ Generation - Genie

- Yeah, Gee isn’t on this list. Believe it or not, I was turned off by Gee at the beginning, since there was way too much “cutesy sound” (ahh, how weird the term aegyo would’ve seemed if I had heard it then). Genie, on the other hand, delivered a strong chorus, and absolutely amazing vocals from Taeyeon, Sunny, and Tiffany (Taeyeon’s adlibs at the end are what essentially earned her the #1 bias spot).

4. f(x) - La Cha Ta

- My first f(x) song was f(x)’s first (title) song. Luna and Krystal were outstanding in both looks and vocals, while the dance was impressing, while Sulli and Amber would go on to be undiscovered players. Even after four years, this is still my favourite f(x) song. The raw dance pop sound hasn’t been topped by the girls since.

3. 4minute - I My Me Mine

- Can you believe it? I can’t either, but certainly 4minute places in the top 3. If I thought La Cha Ta was the epitome of dance pop, then I My Me Mine certainly was the epitome of the more electronic pop songs. There weren’t many other electronic songs on the list or drafts, but the dance and vocals complimented each other very nicely. And may I mention that (a) the video effects on the “Click click” part of the dance was awesome, and (b) Gayoon’s belt still sends chills down my spine.

2. Younha - Hero

- I’ve mentioned Hero so many times on this blog now that I reallywanted to omit this song from the list, but it simply has to be here. Badass instrumentals, beast piano solo bridge, 110% high level vocals coupled with belts and the like. I’m still amazed this was never a title track. But all this talk aside, it’s still not #1 (I even surprised myself).

1. Super Junior - It’s You

- You’ve probably noticed that there have been a lack of comments regarding music videos, and a majority of remarks for vocals, because that’s what really drew me to Kpop and absolutely It’s You. Between the overcrowded choreography, steady background music, calming choruses, and superstar belting from Yesung (won’t sell out the other members’ vocal performance either though). This song was and still is dangerously addicting and once you get this in your head, you’ll have a tough time getting It’s You out.

~

“Honorable Mentions”

Younha - Telepathy

Brown Eyed Girls - Abracadabra

Younha - Houki Boshi

Super Junior - Sorry Sorry

Girls’ Generation - Girls’ Generation

~

What about you guys? What were some of the songs that brought you into the Kpop world?

[Review] Miss A - Hush

Vocals: 7 / 10

Miss A sounds great in “Hush”. The voices blend together extremely well and the unique attributes of each member are brought out nicely. But, there’s nothing interesting in this song. I guess you could characterize the chorus as the hook, but the first and second verses’ only difference is who is singing them. There’s no lyric change between Min and Suzy’s verse and Fei and Jia’s verse. While I may not have noticed this if the song was faster, the nature of the song caused me to be curious so I looked up the Hangul and that’s when I noticed the identical verses. The bridge (and also the extremely awkward “Ah ha” before it) also seemed out of place, not fitting with either the verses or the chorus, despite the rather better ending with the belts. The good thing about Miss A is that just about any of them could be belting, which I say is something to boast even in a small group like theirs. Emphasis on the sound of the vocals, not so much the quality of the vocals.

Appearance: 10 / 10

Miss A continuing to be perfect in the visual / eye candy department. I actually thought Jia was in the spotlight for this one, despite the uh…Min groping at the beginning. Her fair looked fabulous in all shots / scenes, and she was the only one with lighter contacts which looked nice. Suzy, Min, and Fei are just about the same. Since “I Don’t Need A Man”, “Hush” is more dark, which is what the extensive use of black clothing and makeup and bright red lipstick compliment. My only complaint is Fei’s tied back straight hair, since I find her so much more flattering with anything but. The chorus choreography does have hair flipping, so maybe this was mainly for that.

Dance: 7 / 10

Is that groping in the beginning…? I thought the whole tearing sheets right in beat for the chorus was neat, but uh, the rest of the choreography is pretty average. The whole dance during the chorus (first chorus anyway) with the pole dancing is not only random, but “inappropriate”. What I mean by that is, it’s out of character, since the pole dancing part never appears again for the remainder of the song. Lives of this must be hella awkward with a random pole there for only 25 seconds never to be used again. There were also sequences where the positioning seemed sort of messy or almost freestyle. While it can work for larger groups, I prefer more unison or synchronization in smaller groups.

Music Video: 2 / 10

Ugh. The only decent thing (which is actually more than decent, it’s really cool) about this MV is the ending. The faces transitioning into each other was breathtaking? Elegant? I can’t find the right word. Well done, is what it was. I feel like a concept like that must be out somewhere in other videos, but “Hush” is the first that I’ve seen. The rest of the music video is…bad. The solo shots and lipsyncs of the already-mentioned boring verses were equally as boring with nothing but stares and the lips moving. Outside of that is the standard dances and boxes video.

~

Overall: 66 / 100

This is a really catchy chorus, but not a really catchy song. The instrumentals for the regular and party version are also pleasant and complimentary, but the video is absolutely horrendous despite the bright ending and the dance is decent at best, so the score really takes a hit in that regard. Thankfully, I appreciate music to the vocals, and so I’ll continue to enjoy the song for what it’s worth.

[Review] G-Dragon - Who You

Vocals: 7 / 10

Something tells me the ranges in this song stretched above G-Dragon’s comfort range. I already don’t really like when Taeyang goes outside of his range (read: too high), and G-Dragon has a less impressive voice. Nonetheless, some of the hooks were nice and the overall flow of the song was nice on the ears. It feel really weird to even talk about G-Dragon’s vocals in something related to Big Bang (even when I reviewed “One Of A Kind” and “Crayon” in September) but he did average work in the song, and so an average score he’ll receive.

Rap: 7 / 10

There wasn’t too much rapping in this track, but I share most of the same sentiments regarding the rap as I did with the vocals. I caught a “shotuout” or whatever to CL’s “Baddest Female” at the end of one of the lines. G-Dragon’s usual rapping performance is weakened by the higher pitched usage of his voice. But I will acknowlege that he went through the entire song within this range, similar to how he did in “That XX” (except for the rap break).

Music Video: 9 / 10

I appreciated the idea that this was a community-created music video, with the help of all the fans volunteering, It’s awesome to see artists working with and reaching out to the fans that they care about and are cared about in return. That said, this wasn’t that interactive of a video from a artist-to-fan perspective. The glass walls were pretty expansive, and just seemed like a cage of G-Dragon to be watched and observed by, all the while essentially providing four minutes (or however long) of fangirl-fainting stares and fanservice. But, I won’t take away from the fact that this was an awesome community-created video, and so kudos to you, G-Dragon. Also, nice car.

Overall: 78 / 100

In terms of score, G-Dragon comes out (barely) on top over Taeyang and T.O.P, but within the three I felt all of them lacked something (or in some cases many things) to really cement themselves as staple singles / releases of the Big Bang group. With military enlistment looming over the group, I was hoping they’d make a final “wave” (or “bang”, heh), and I’ll try to hide my disappointment, but in the end, they had some decent tracks during November. I’m moving on though, Miss A and M&N are next,

[Review] T.O.P - Doom Dada

Rap: 25 / 25

T.O.P is one of the industry’s premiere rappers, and even outside that, “Turn It Up” had some nice lines across the board so this serves as a pretty solid follow up, but only with the second half of the song when the tempo starts to really pick up The prechorus and chorus was probably my least favourite part of the song, with all the extended singing notes and all that (the part right before “Doom da da divi da”). I felt none of those parts really blended with the rest of the song. The high usage of English also attributed to the overall awkward feeling on the first listen. But whle we’re here. let’s add to the list of ridiculous English words that you’d never think would show up in Kpop. Please welcome “Shower”, “Sommelier”, “ and last but certainly not least, “Hakuna matata”. I think I should just stop talking about the rap with that. When I listened to the released audio I nearly fell over.

Music Video: 13 / 25

Seems like we say this about nearly every Big Bang video but what is this video even. The monochrome colour scheme definitely reminded me of “Turn It Up”, which was a good track, but the music video was way more tame than this one. There’s like crazy lightning schemes along with the monochrome video, prehistoric apes running around with mics, and zebras and wine. Okay… While “Turn It Up” had a more fun music video, this one for “Doom Dada” wasn’t as easy to follow.

~

Overall: 76 / 100

“We’ll see if Taeyang’s teammates in T.O.P and G-Dragon can impress further with their latest releases”. In score and in full, T.O.P certainly does, but “Doom Dada” and “Ringa Linga” are about as far apart as the moon and the sun. Taeyang’s song relied on choreography while “Doom Dada” is very obviously a rap track. The rapping during the latter half of the song was very impressive, and for sure saves the score since the music video was rather…interesting. Anyway, T.O.P definitely kept the rapping standards to par, but dropped the ball on the music video production.

[Review] Taeyang - Ringa Linga

Vocals: 4 / 10

This…is something different. I would like to say that for this instance “different” is a good “different”, but…it’s not. I tried my hardest to like this new Taeyang, but either I’m too nostalgic for my own good, Taeyang was too strong with his old solo stuff, I don’t like the autotune and dubstep nature of the song, or any combination of the above, and for that I had a really tough time with this song. The introduction had me feeling pretty good, but between the heavy autotune, bizarre-sounding high-pitched background voices, awkward and quick shifts from the lower range verses / rap to the higher prechorus, nothing really came together. Which is a shame, because like I mentioned earlier, Taeyang’s previous solo work didn’t disappoint. Even “I’ll Be There”, which has the most similarity to “Ringa Linga” was way more enjoyable than this. The saving grace is absolutely the bridge, which trails back to more of Taeyang’s roots as a solo singer (and really nicely, too), which keep this score from getting a measly 2.

Appearance: 6 / 10

I remember when Taeyang had such short hair that he couldn’t even do anything extra with it. Hell, even in “I Need a Girl” or “I’ll Be There” there wasn’t much variation. But there was more changes in this music video than all of the previous releases combined. Anyway, it’s the “standard” faux hawk but in blonde, which doesn’t look bad, but with some shots where he has really long hair (or extended) Taeyang looks pretty silly (like a lion with a mane or something). At the same time, Taeyang’s a member of Big Bang, whose style and such shouldn’t bring much of a surprise anymore with how wacky and weird some of their stuff has been.

Dance: 10 / 10

Just about the only thing going for “Ringa Linga” (more on that later) is the beast choreography. Taeyang has always impressed with his dances and this song is no exception. There’s a mixture of high energy moves and more simple or “medium level” stuff. I don’t even know enough to feel right commenting about this. Really awesome work Taeyang.

Music Video: 5 / 10

Most of this MV was choreography-centered, so I cannot fault the score too much. But between the weird outfits and costumes and colours, bright lights and the glow-in-the-dark shenanigans, it’s just about a mediocre MV at best. Anyone else not surprised that G-Dragon found his way into the MV? I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. Taeyang is also of course, shirtless at one point in the video, which is eye candy for fangirls everywhere. All in all it’s just about the standard Big Bang-esque video, but not to the same quality as something like “Fantastic Baby” was.

~

Overall: 50 / 100

I hate to say that “Not impressed” is how I feel about “Ringa Linga”, but “not impressed” is exactly how I feel about “Ringa Linga”.The vocals are subpar, the chorus is subpar, the autotune is too strong, the rap talking is mediocre at best, and the transitions were lacking. The dance is definitely amazing, but you don’t hear the dance when you’re only listening to the music. We’ll see if Taeyang’s teammates in T.O.P and G-Dragon can impress further with their latest releases.

[Review] T-ARA - Number Nine

Vocals: 9 / 10

Has T-Ara always been this synchronized in sound? Perhaps it was the melody of the verses and such, but every member’s voice flows pretty well into the next, making it really enjoyable to listen to. Jiyeon’s high notes during the bridge were also not strained. It was interesting that Soyeon didn’t take some of those high notes but I guess having Soyeon sing the chorus makes more sense. Speaking of, all the high notes and belts were well executed overall. Maybe it’s just me but it has been quite some time since I’ve heard a good belt that not only sounded good but meshed with the chorus, and the work at the end of this song is excellent. The bridge also adds a nice crescendo and Soyeon doesn’t disappoint. What does, however, is the unnecessary use of the prechorus’ half-muffled half-robotic “Number nine”, which should’ve been omitted completely.

Appearance: 8 / 10

Hyomin and Eunjung continue to be flawless. Boram and Soyeon look good, but I don’t think the hairstyles they had did enough for them. As far as Qri goes, that shade of red doesn’t work well for her, and makes her look weird and stand out amongst the other members who have darker colours. Speaking of colours, the outfits during the red box were probably the best. Eunjung and Jiyeon look amazing, but in their solo shots with the zebra stripes? Questionable. Outside of the red box clothes and zebra clothes though they looked great all around.

Dance: 8 / 10

The dance also was equally as appealing as the girls’ looks for the most part. The mixture between individual moves and synchronized choreography was of a good balance, and while they were no dance breaks or such, Jiyeon’s parts during the prechorus almost gave the feeling of a dance solo anyway. While having said all that about the dance being good, I felt there could have been some more energy and or power, given the heavy instrumentals of the song.

Rap: 3 / 10

No, no, no, no. There is anything and everything wrong with this rap. What is Hyomin saying? “I’m addict”? “I’m adding”? “I’m headache”? Even ignoring the terrible English, the rap was mediocre at best, with the weird muffled background voices backing Hyomin up. As far as songs like this go, I feel this could’ve been fine without a rap segment (similar to f(x)’s “Electric Shock”) but they just had to add this one in, and definitely a regrettable decision. Considering just how good the vocals were in this song, the rap is a serious letdown and disappointment.

Music Video: 6 / 10

From now on, any stereotypical boring box MV will get a score of 4, and then I’ll add or subtract additional points from there based on various things like eye candy, additional versions, etc. So with that said, this score gets a 6 because of the extra eye candy in both the regular music video and then the second music video, which was shot in Mongolia. Since there was no sort of drama version, and of course being the stereotypical MV that it is, there’s no plot or interaction at all. I did find the intro / first fifteen seconds a little strange, since it’s only Eunjung singing notes with no real substance and is more structured towards a ballad (or at least a softer song) but then cuts (despite the instrumental buildup) right to the “wub wub wub” intro of the song.

~

Overall: 68 / 100

While the song is very good, the score doesn’t quite reflect that. Primarily because the unneeded rap was so bad, and because the music video didn’t provide much either. If you only looked at vocals, dance, and appearance, the score would be 25 / 30. Which is a shame, since these aspects were executed so well, but the remaining two weren’t. We’ll be hard pressed to find more solid releases with quality scores in all fields. T-Ara put out a good effort but couldn’t quite make things happen.

[Review] Block B - Very Good

Vocals: 5 / 10

U-Kwon and Taeil are talented vocalists (Jaehyo too for the most part) but this song is very much a Block B song, and so they don’t have many opportunities to showcase themselves. For the portions they sang (excluding the chorus), they did well but I can’t really say much else since they didn’t sing much. How about that falsetto at the end, if you could call that falsetto. Impressive, to say the least, even for a line like that.

Appearance: 5 / 10

Big Bang called, and they want some of their stuff back. Block B has always been very non-mainstream, but this was just way too much like Big Bang for me to think otherwise. The Mickey Mouse hair for Zico, blue hair for Zico, U-Kwon’s mask, Kyung’s popping out from the plate, Taeil’s near-identical appearance to G-Dragon with that hairstyle and glasses. They’ve been “wacky” since the debut with “Freeze” but this was disappointing since it really just looked like a mimic of Big Bang. U-Kwon looked the most “normal”, and the best.

Dance: ? / 10

Similar to Lee Hi and “It’s Over”, I don’t think I’ll be giving a score here for the same reasons. There’s not enough screen time to the dance, and that’s not even considering that a majority of the dance that is shown, is simply freestyle or much flailing of the arms and legs. Which is perfectly okay, given the nature of the song, but as such giving this a score would be unfair to Block B.

Rap: 9 / 10

Block B has a wealth of rappers with vast experience, and because their music is centered on rapping they should have a good score. Kyung and Zico (and P.O, for his little bit) perform up to their standards and the English usage was good. Hell, all of the English throughout the song was pretty well executed and well pronounced. Special note would be the chorus, because while to fluent English speakers “I’m very very good” sounds like common sense, there have a few too many instances of awful English and this could’ve turned out very poorly.

Music Video: 8 / 10

Like the appearances, the music video also reminded me of Big Bang a lot, and since Block B has (in my opinion) put themselves in their own unique category, this isn’t a good thing. The boxes are pretty standard, but the rooms with decorated thrones, the silly colours, the vans containing people with masks, etc. etc. The video was fun and all, but I drew plenty of similarities to other Big Bang videos, and like I mentioned with appearances, just seemed like a letdown, or they weren’t really trying.

~

Overall: 70 / 100

As far as Block B’s comeback is concerned, it was good to see them return despite the shenanigans with their previous label, but honestly comparing this song as Block B’s standard to “Be The Light” which was easily out of their comfort zone, I enjoyed the latter much more. Using “good” to describe “Very Good” is applicable, but not so much “very good”.

[Review] IU - The Red Shoes

Vocals: 23 / 25

Talk about a retro sound. IU brings us a portion of nostalgia lane with a snazzy jazzy tune with her voice does a damn well job of it. There’s a gentle mixture of emotion, sass, high notes, and energy throughout, which is really enjoyable from IU. IU hasn’t really dabbled in the deeper ranges since “4AM” so the beginning is a pleasant surprise, but she doesn’t forget her roots and goes up for those lively and lovely higher notes for the chorus, not to mention the pretty falsettos. Unfortunately, the aegyo displays of…whatever the hell she mumbles after the chorus (sounds like “Oompaloompa” I think) blocks this from getting a perfect score. Compared with the tone of the vocals in the rest of the song I feel she could’ve done better without adding any aegyo or cute sounds. Also, while her relatively small use of English was good, her “stop” in “stop the time” really irked me, as it sounded more like “standard time” even after a few listens. Nonetheless, can’t blame her for that.

Music Video: 24 / 25

Wow, this music video is lengthy…and it’s set in France? Oh nevermind, there’s like three minutes of credits and filler. Thankfully, the actual music video is certainly not filler and is more than the time’s worth. I’m not one for the analytics and deeper philosophy of music videos, but this was a good reenactment of the original fairytale. The colours (including the black and white only scenes) provide for easy viewing, and the dancing is not that bad either. IU has never been choreography-heavy but it’s sassy enough to match the theme of the video as well as the song itself. As for her becoming more mature and advancing into the sexy role, she doesn’t do anything “extraordinary” but the hair colours look amazing on her.

~

Overall: 94 / 100

Not only has IU made a comeback that was different (in at least a little way), she made a comeback with force, and also pleasantness. Both the vocal work and music video are impressive in their own right, and combined together give this a really impressive score. The red shoes will keep dancing, and IU will keep on singing. 

[Review] KARA - Damaged Lady

As KARA will probably cease to exist as we know it in just under three months, I thought I’d take a look at their last title track as 5KARA. Also since I was inactive during September, I’m making up for it with extra pieces this month, naturally.

~

Vocals: 8 / 10

Seungyeon continues to do a lot of work for KARA, but I’m not going to dismiss Gyuri either. The chorus was powerful and easily the highlight of the song. It did, however, get my hopes up for the rest of the song, which the rap (we’ll talk about that later) disappointed me in. The verses however meshed pleasantly with the chorus, especially given Jiyoung’s soft voice (the sound of innocence) and the other girls being capable of matching that sound. Overall the vocals in “Damaged Lady” are not far off from the standards of KARA.

Appearance: 9 / 10

Gyuri, please. That short cut just won’t do. I’m not talking about the short wigs (the ones that gave them the boyish look), I’m talking about the red bizarre cut that not only framed her face awkwardly but just made her look straight up creepy. And honestly, the colour isn’t the greatest on her to begin with. Other than that, KARA lives up to their standards. Seungyeon and Hara look amazing, and Nicole and Jiyoung, too. Everyone’s outfits while on the their thrones looked amazing (again minus Gyuri), and the white T-shirt and black tie look was oozing charisma. No comment on their boy looks.

Dance: 7 / 10

There’s a lot of hip movement, but outside of that it didn’t seem like the dance was particularly interesting. The girls mostly stood straight for a lot of the movements, which doesn’t necessarily make it a bad or lame dance, but definitely affects the visual appeal. That said, I didn’t find this dance on any extreme, which I leave to you on whether or not that’s a good or bad thing. It wasn’t too boring, but it wasn’t overly flashy.

Rap: 4 / 10

I thought the rapping throughout could’ve been omitted entirely. While previous rapping in “Lupin” and “Pandora” was appropriate, I felt this one in “Damaged Lady” wasn’t. The rest of the song is very high energy and or loud, emphasized by the vocals and chorus, but the rapping never really got anywhere besides sounding low and out of place. The one “saving grace” of the rap in “Damaged Lady” is that it was probably the best closing option available to them, since the chorus was so full of energy and the verses were fast.

Music Video: 8 / 10

KARA gets a lot of free points here for not having the standard boring MV. It’s cute to see them distressed at their pathetic excuse of a boyfriend(s) checking out other girls and not paying attention to them, and the eventual ditching and getting a bit of revenge. What did Jiyoung or whoever shoot at a guy anyway…? Questionable random water sprinkler scene though, fanservice aside. This was also the first MV for KARA where I felt their fancy closed boxes were maybe a little too small. For a group that has five members, you’d think it’d be hard for them to make a box set look crowded but I felt that way for a few of them.

~

Overall: 72 / 100

Despite my comments about the excellent vocal showing in the chorus, I find “Damaged Lady” lacking in terms of getting your attention. Perhaps it was because of the subpar rapping, or maybe they lost a few points in the choreography, but I don’t forsee myself coming back to this song as often as I have others, but maybe I’m merely wallowing in the nostalgia of “Lupin” and crying that KARA will lose Nicole and possibly Jiyoung for next year.

[Review] 9MUSES - Gun

Vocals: 10 / 10

Am I the only one who thinks this song could segue into “Give It To Me” or something of that caliber very well? There’s a mixture of pop, retro, and sass that makes this song ridiculously catchy. While “Wild” uses energy for the hook, “Gun” uses smoothness. Seriously, the voices blend into each other beautifully and the bridge by Hyuna and Hyemi was delightful. There’s no crazy belts or high energy which while may have been nice, may not have fit the song or instrumentals as well as without. Line distribution is also excellent in this piece, something rarely seen in groups with this many numbers.

Appearance: 10 / 10

Damn these girls look amazing. Kyungri, Hyuna, Sera, and Sungah were flawless in this video. I was mainly attracted to the eyes this time. Hyuna and Sera have gorgeous eyes and they’re simply two of the best. This group as a whole could easily compete with KARA in terms of eye emphasis and beauty. I thought it was a little unfair that some members’ solo shots gave them fancier outfits than the others. Hyuna’s blue dress was stunning, but Kyungri only got a similar outfit to their other stuff.

Dance: 7 / 10

Choreography has always been solid for 9MUSES, but it has never been that pronounced or the main focus of their music (for example compared to groups like TVXQ or 2NE1). The usage of chairs and “splitting” up the group and choreography was pretty neat. You sort of implemented the members on the side as pseudo-backup dancers and the main dancers in the center. Similar to “Wild” though, there’s nothing that really stands out in the choreography. So for that, an average score it is.

Rap: 9 / 10

Erin has one of the best rapping voices out of the girl groups, despite the rapping in “Gun” not being standout. It’s low, husky, throws a little energy around, and ends nicely. While her rap in “Wild” was easily one of the best in 2013, this is a good rap that keeps consistent pace with the song and so isn’t out of place.

Music Video: 7 / 10

I don’t really understand this music video. 9MUSES owns a gas station? Seemingly in the middle of nowhere? And some handsome actor-man-guy-person shows up, gives the girls and interested look and the girls return (Hyuna!) but the lyrics of the song are reflected in the video, the man isn’t good(?) enough and doesn’t approach any of the girls. Outside of that, it’s your standard dance scenes and solo shots compiled into a MV full of eye candy. While the vocals of the bridge matched the rest of the song very well, the same doesn’t apply to the music video. It was nice to see the girls in pure white, smiling and frolicking through the fields…but where did that come from? The entire rest of the video had been them on a deserted wasteland at a gas station. Suddenly, fields. I just found that confusing. Also, didn’t they just steal the guy’s motorcycle at the end? Or they abducted him or something. I wouldn’t mind getting abducted by 9MUSES.

~

Overall: 86 / 100

This is an excellent title track amongst a blend of other really good songs on the “Primadonna” album. The song is just so ridiculously catchy and flows so well that you’ll find yourself looping this song for hours without even realizing so. The music video is a little underwhelming, but in hindsight they could have taken the theme to a much worse outcome.