[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.
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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.
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.