[Misc] Bias Power Rankings V: Summer 2016

To cap off my most productive month since starting my blog in 2012, and given the plethora of girl group comebacks, and more on the way, it's time to revise the Bias List once more. I think I'm going to settle on updating the list every 3-4 months. It's a good enough time span for new music releases, variety show appearances, etc. to shuffle the roster around and the like. I tend not to write as much for these rankings because they're so subjective and not really a factor in anything ha.

Honorable Mentions: Suzy / Victoria / Chorong / Irene

A group of honorable mentions will be included in both Bias and Girl Group Power Rankings, so here are the members which make the inaugural 7th season list. Victoria is an OG crush that has yet to break the barrier into top 12, while Suzy is the opposite, having fallen from #6 back in 2014. Chorong and Irene are very new additions, the former quickly growing into a strong #2 within A-Pink and the latter a rising star alongside her group.

[Misc] Kpop's Deadliest Triplets

Kpop is full of strong pairings, but the next level above that is trios. When you have an established triplet, it's a three-way attack that not many groups have. In this fun and casual post I'll highlight the five best triplets in Kpop, along with a few honorable mentions. Just another piece that isn't a review to help break up the uniformity and hopefully get my brain thinking in new and creative ways for future writings. I also couldn't figure out a way to get a fancier cover image so forgive me on that one.

Honorable Mentions

Eunjung / Hyomin / Jiyeon - T-ARA

Kyuhyun / Ryeowook / Yesung - Super Junior

Seolhyun / Hyejeong / Yuna - AOA

5. Momo / Sana / Mina - Twice

Who would've ever imagined that a non-Korean triplet would not only make this list, but be responsible for a huge portion of their group's popularity? The only other foreign trio was EXO's Kris / Luhan / Tao and we all know how that turned out (sorry Lay). Anyways, Twice's Japanese triplets are a force to be reckoned with. After all, you don't get a set nickname of J-Trinity without reason. Their versatile visuals are the primary attraction, and niche vocals are what make this triplet particularly potent. A Twice without Momo, Mina, and Sana would be an inferior Twice indeed.

[Review] Sistar - I Like That

Sistar is back! After underwhelming us for the last two years with "Touch My Body" and "Shake It," teasers for "I Like That" showed a possible return to older times, while still using the upbeat dance tempo that is so infectious. I have been yearning for another addition to Sistar's library in the vein of "Alone" and "Give It To Me," so hopefully it's something like that. I'm also itching to have another installment of Girl Group Power Rankings, but wanted to wait until Sistar or Girl's Day had their comeback. That way, the 4 out of the top 5 (and 8 out of the top 10) will have released something since the last ranking.

Sistar probably have the best pair of vocalists in Hyorin and Soyu, but you wouldn't really be able to tell in "I Like That." As per usual, Hyorin takes the lead, while Soyu and Dasom are support, and Bora gets nothing at all. There has to be a Sistar release (title track) where Bora sings, right? Eventually? Anyway, while I'm a huge Soyu fan, it's understandable that she took a backseat here. Soyu's voice is much more breathy and sensual, which isn't really suited for a majority of this type of song. They used her sparingly, but also effectively. This leaves Hyorin's more versatile voice dominating all parts of the song in usual fashion. As good as some girl group rappers are going this year, the vocalists like Linzy, Choa, and Hyorin might have it better, which is crazy to think about.

[Review] EXO - Monster

Admittedly I didn't want to review another S.M. artist because over the last few months I've overloaded on their releases but hey. They provide me with plenty of new songs and material so I have to oblige, plus I got to take a review break with some bonus material. With Red Velvet having achieved breakout status earlier in the year, S.M. turns to their next youngest group. EXO's 3rd studio album would feature a pair of title tracks, but we're going to review the more interesting song "Monster." And I promise this will be the only mention of the matter, but I'm glad to see Lay is still with the group.

This song is what "Mama" and "Wolf" wanted to but ultimately failed to be. Angst, power, aggression, etc. "Monster" captures those elements while at the same time being free of the issues that plagued its predecessors. "Monster" sounds like the same song from the second it starts to the second it ends, and there are no sudden changes in the nature of the music at any point. Awkward transitions are also absent, making the song one fluid listen. Perhaps most importantly, there are no chants or screaming and that's fantastic.

[Bonus] Girl Group Vocalist Power Rankings (#10-#1)

#10. Uji (--)
The reason I had Uji above Linzy in early renditions of the rankings was that I find them both similar in terms of their technical ability, but up until "Applie Pie," Uji's presence in BESTie's music was felt much more so than Linzy in FIESTAR. And that was enough to give her #10 despite the lack of depth in her resume. "Love Options" and "Thank U Very Much" laid the groundwork, and culminated into "Excuse Me," where she hard-carried the rest of BESTie on her back. Take away Uji from her group and you'd have some pedestrian songs without much interesting going on.

#9. Choa (--)
Had "Good Luck" been released a few months earlier, the idea to move Choa up to somewhere like #7 would've been under heavy consideration. It's her version of Uji's "Excuse Me" as in the breakout performance. Choa has delivered for AOA on numerous occasions, as early as the days of their debut. She's gotten better with age, and her trademark is being both delicate with her headvoice ("Heart Attack") and the more full-sounding lower range ("Confused"). She's also taken part of some individual projects, which showcase her talent further.

[Bonus] Girl Group Vocalist Power Rankings (#20-#11)

#20. Wendy (--)
Out of all the rookies, Wendy has the most experience under her belt. That may be because she debuted the earlier but hey. Wendy is a vocalist of different extremes. When she's in her comfort range, she's in the zone and sounds amazing: see all of "One Of These Nights." On the opposite end, she sounds very shrill when she reaches, likely a result of straining too much: see the high notes in "Dumb Dumb." But given her group's status, she is going to elevate herself as she matures and her group succeeds.

#19. Soyeon (--)
T-ARA isn't known for having extremely capable vocalists, but Soyeon deserves merit. I let her edge out Wendy primarily due to her much more extensive career. That career has also been very consistent for as long as I can remember, and she's never really had a bad performance. As an individual, she affects their music much more than anyone else, often by providing a strong backbone for her group's songs, like choruses in "Sugar Free" and "So Crazy." It's really a shame that Soyeon has yet to have a chance at a solo, while the triplets (Eunjung, Hyomin, and Jiyeon) got their starts already.

[Bonus] Girl Group Vocalist Power Rankings (#30-#21)

The Power Ranking pieces are my absolute favorite series for my blog, so why not try and tackle a Vocalist Power Ranking? It's going to be a component of the Girl Group Profiles I have planned - and I need to get on those ASAP because groups are dying left and right. Full disclosure: I'm no singing expert in any way, shape, or form. I know some of the fundamentals but that's being generous. Like with the rappers, I'm in no position to really critique or comment, but that's what makes this type of writing intriguing. We get to be a little creative, try and look at the grand scheme of things objectively, and have a little fun while we're at it. This will be more serious than the visual rankings, but probably not to the finesse (ha) of the rapper ones.

I took every main vocalist from 30 girl groups and limited each group to having one representative. Having to rank 30 members is gonna be enough work. Categories of evaluation included voice type, technical ability, versatility, and (title track) resume / career. Original drafts date back as far as like November of last year so some images and text are outdated, and will obviously include some girls who are no longer active. But like I said, it's (mostly) for the Girl Group Profiles. Let's go.

#30. Suzy (--)
Suzy will start us off in last place. I'm surprised she's even on the list, because I don't understand how Min isn't the main vocalist, but I digress. Suzy's got the stereotypical girl group voice: soft and sweet. She's nothing special and that's precisely why shes here at #30. What Suzy does have going for her is that she has gotten much better over the years, but what with miss A's future very uncertain, I think this is as far as she will go. Check out "Dream" for some sweet Suzy sounds, that may be her last.

#29. Seungyeon (--)
This year has not been kind to Seungyeon. KARA disbands, her solo was dropped in Best Of 2012 Revisited, and now she's second last in this ranking. The reason she is so far down is because outside of "Guilty," she's not (or rather wasn't) really utilized much in KARA's music - to the point where I always thought Gyuri was the main vocalist because her voice is unique, and I find Seungyeon's voice very weak to begin with. We might not hear Hammie again for some time but I have my hopes it'll be sooner rather than later.

[Bonus] Best Of 2012 Revisited

Here's a fun twist. I'm going to look at and revise my list of best songs from each of the past 4 years. Well, maybe. I'm going to start with the 2012 set for obvious reasons, and we'll see how I feel as it goes. Should be an interesting take and parallel to the Power Ranking pieces. Each entry will include a link to the MV, the original song in that position in parentheses (to make the list look prettier), and then some short comments about the song's rise, fall, or if it's a new addition to the list, why it deserves to be here and etc.

#12. B.A.P - Warrior (--)
Original: B.A.P - Warrior

Starting off the revisions with a lack of revision, B.A.P's "Warrior" remains one of the strongest and impressive debuts to date. The choreography was excellent and the rapping on another level (in terms of debuts anyway). While the team blonde look didn't help us get acquainted with the members, it's an iconic image if only for Zelo's ramen hairstyle. This introductory piece did a great job laying the foundation for B.A.P tracks to come.

#11. Juniel - Bad Man (-7)
Original: EXO-K - Angel

So I vastly overestimated Juniel back in 2012. She has had a good string of releases up until her departure from FNC, but "Bad Man" remains her best work. To put it in top 4 though was very very ambitious and as I found out over the years, Juniel's music is very niche and as a result doesn't have as much staying power as I'd want. Regardless, it's still good enough to not get outright dropped like other songs. And there's more to do with reevaluated songs being better than "Bad Man" being overhyped back then.

[Blog] The Destiny Of 9MUSES

Well, I really wish I could say that I'm shocked by this news, but that's only half true. Erin and Minha won't be renewing their contracts and thus leave 9MUSES. This leaves the group with Hyemi, Kyungri, Hyuna. Sungah, Sojin, and Keumjo. And apparently, there are plans for a summer comeback. While I'm not sure if there are plans for new members in the works, but a comeback would do well to help ease the pain for more lineup struggles.

[Review] EXID - L.I.E

EXID hardly need an introduction. They are a girl group boasting enormous talent from the starlight vocalist Solji, to the unique visual Hani. From #1 girl group rapper LE to the Pokemon-like 4D persona of Hyerin. And Junghwa (I kid). EXID's resume has been spectacular before and after Hani's legendary fancam, but took a hit last fall when "Hot Pink" failed to live up to the new standards from "Ah Yeah." Could "L.I.E" turn things around?

Are they really saying "lie" a few times? I thought they were spelling out "l-i-e" which makes more sense to me but the subtitles on live performances show the former so I guess that's the real deal. Anyway, Hani's opening lines are once again showing off her velvet-smooth voice, and probably said the most attractive "go to hell" I'll ever hear in my life. Let's get to the most important part of "L.I.E:" Junghwa not only has some serious singing lines, but they're not in a stupid awkward section of the song! Junghwa fans rejoice because she is finally free of bizarre transitions. While her part in "Hot Pink" showed she had a competent voice, "L.I.E" shows she can hold her own against Hani and if not for the brief inflections I'd have given her the win in the verses.

[Review] CLC - No Oh Oh

Due to sheer quantity, CLC hasn't been a group on my radar. I did catch their debut last year with "Pepe" but otherwise have been completely in the dark on them. I'll be going into this review with little to no knowledge of the group since "Pepe." This should be an interesting take compared to my other reviews, where I'm usually quite familiar with the groups and idols I write about. Then again, I did take on both Oh My Girl and NCT rather recently so maybe I'm just blowing hot air at this point. All I did for preparation was watch "Pepe" a few times (and "No Oh Oh," obviously), and read up on the members (to get the roles right).

So starting off, CLC got new members! That threw me for a loop seeing seven members. When I watched the video for the first time I was confused because I thought there were only five of them in "Pepe." Anyway, this song is bright and fun! It's very catchy, and surprisingly doesn't irritate me with how stupidly repetitive some parts of the song are. The main culprits of this of course are the whistling, and the "aniya" used in practically every other line, but somehow someway they manage to not ruin the song for me. To be fair I don't think they contribute much either except for the latter's purpose in the title but still. While the song's style and sound are unchanged from "Pepe," it seems the member dynamic has.

[Review] Luna - Free Somebody

S.M. is a machine that doesn't stop. They have been dropping solo efforts left and right all year and now Luna finally gets her chance at a solo, after having watched Amber get her debut last year. Unlike what we've come to expect, Luna would pursue a dance track as opposed to what most people associate her with: strong vocals. Luna was technically recruited into the company as a dancer so I have no qualms about this at all. I just want to see Luna excel because her talent has not been used much within the confines of f(x) except recently. Oh and she happens to be my favorite member of the group.

We may have been promised a dance track, but did you really think Luna would push her vocals aside? She's never been a lightweight in terms of singing and this is another highlight to add to her resume. "Free Somebody" in essence takes the strong instrumental like that in "4 Walls" but instead of graceful voices, you get Luna at 100% power. Luna has always been a rare exception in that her reach notes don't sound as strained compared to other singers. This has been what I've heard since their debut, and I can't explain why that is the case. Regardless, she sounds really good here. She's powerful and emphatic, and this is where she differentiates from Tiffany's solo. 2016 is a fantastic year for underrated singers, as we've seen Eunji and Luna get solos, and Linzy get more opportunities. More of this trend is greatly appreciated.