December 30, 2017

[Misc] Housekeeping For 2018

With all the cleaning around the house I've been doing lately, I felt it was good to drop a brief housekeeping post for the blog as well. First off, I'm going to belatedly start / categorize the 8th season of writeups. It's not that my writing style has really changed all that much over the last year and beyond but the break that I took earlier this year helps make the split easier. Therefore, 8th season will start from mid-May of 2017 and continue on until whenever I feel the next shift is necessary. All posts since then will be updated to reflect this change, and I'll also spend time going through each of those posts for typos, errors, etc. etc. Obviously I can't do this for all the blog posts because that would (a) be ridiculous and (b) take forever so this split is a nice medium. I may also change the tags to [Season #] instead, but the jury's still out on that one.

I don't ever straight up delete old blog entries, but I will do a quick sweep of the 350+ posts for anything blatantly worth removing. I doubt I'll find anything but it'll keep my OCD satisfied for the time being. Nonetheless the priority will be cleaning up the Season 8 posts, and finishing up the 2018 Kpop Awards which will hopefully be released tomorrow night. Last but certainly not least... Thank you to all those who take a peek at my blog. Whoever you are, wherever you are, if I have even a few people that enjoy my writeups then that's damn good enough for me. Cheers to a brighter and better year of Kpop in 2018!

December 25, 2017

[Bonus] Best Of 2017

At last we have arrived. The finale of 2017. No more teasing, let's cut straight to my top 10 songs of the year.
#10. Akdong Musician - Dinosaur
Akdong Musician have been a sleeper pick all these years. They release solid music and I've casually glanced over them time and time again, but no more. "Dinosaur" was AKMU's first take on the EDM genre and it's a mighty successful one at that. I like how the song opens with guitar for ten seconds before sucker punching you into reality. In the last couple of years plagued by songs with disappointing climaxes, "Dinosaur" avoids this mistake with a brilliant break-chorus hybrid. The first time I heard this song was through speakers so I didn't even know that Suhyun was actually singing those notes (starting at 1:42). Her voice is incredible and she'll be a superstar vocalist for many years to come. Also helpful is that Chanhyuk's rapping is absent. Those were always my least favorite parts of AKMU songs. "Dinosaur" is brilliant and I hope they return to some of this stuff once Chanhyuk finishes military service.
#9. Sistar - Lonely
In a year where girl groups disbanded left and right, it felt good to see at least one end their group career peacefully. This is as beautiful and solemn a goodbye as you'll see in Kpop. Their voices are pristine, and while Soyu and Hyorin's abilities are of no surprise, Dasom turns in her strongest performance yet. Bora also shines with a powerful rap that helped erase her mediocrity of the previous few years. These solid factors make this breakup all the more painful. This was as well-rounded of an effort since "Alone," and off the heels of "I Like That" one thought Sistar would be returning to form. But alas. The fact they got to perform this song live makes their finale all the more bittersweet. God, I miss Sistar so much.

December 24, 2017

[Bonus] Best Of 2017: Honorable Mentions

After the unofficial prologue of the previous post, it's time for some more teasing. I've picked five songs which barely missed out on being in the top 10. These will be unranked, and only have brief notes about each selection. There's absolutely zero reason why previous Best Of 20XX posts never included the music videos so I'll be remedying that starting this year. Here are the songs that almost made the cut.
Taeyeon - Fine
"My Voice" assembled many superstar tracks together, and leading the charge was this song. "Fine" is probably the strongest of her title tracks up until now. It's not a pure ballad / lullaby like "11:11," nor is it the dance number like "Why." Since she has many beautiful moments in this track across her vocal range, "Fine" was a lock for the top songs, and her appearance here as a solo act previews what is to come in tomorrow's reveals.

December 23, 2017

[Bonus] Best Of B-Sides III: 2017 Edition

Rather than make another Best Of B-Sides installment and having to refer to the list of ineligible artists, I figured I could use this one to highlight some B-sides that were some of my favorites of the year. It'll keep things recent while still providing some quality tracks that will segue nicely into next week's post about the best overall songs of the year. Treat this almost like a prologue to the Best Of 2017, if you will.
Primary - Drama (feat. Sunggyu)
Primary always drops amazing music. Even though they always trigger me because the featured artist is the only singer, I can forgive them for the quality songs. What's up with releasing half of a music video though? They did it with Solji, too. Anyway Sunggyu rocks "Drama," his voice stretches all across his range in this song and works very well on either end. Sunggyu has historically been great at conveying emotion when he sings, and that's evident throughout Infinite's discography and any collaborations like this one. With a group comeback in the work (sans Hoya) it'll be good to hear his voice some more.
Taeyeon - Fire
This is the best song with the title of "Fire." Get at me 2NE1 and BTS. Anyway "My Voice" is one of the best albums of the year (surprise) so it's not surprising to find the tracklist extraordinary. Much like Sunggyu in "Drama," Taeyeon runs her voice everywhere and sounds wonderful doing so. What's special about "Fire" is that the chorus comes in super fast: 35 seconds in but the song as a whole never feels rushed. That bridge is therapeutic, too. I'd love to hear like a heavy rock variation on this piece, or even with just a heavier drums influence.

December 19, 2017

Rest In Peace, Jonghyun

How do I even write this? Thinking about what to say and how to say it leaves me silent. SHINee was one of the earliest groups I discovered in Kpop, and Jonghyun's powerful voice easily made him my favorite member. Though they (and other boy groups) faded into the backlight as I got deeper into Kpop, I still enjoyed their comebacks time and time again. Jonghyun was a special singer, a special talent, and him being gone simply didn't process in my mind at first. The whole situation being tied with depression and suicide only makes things more painful. His final letter, the general surrounding circumstances...there were so many posts and tweets I saw that hurt to read. Some of it reverberated within me because of my own battles, and loss of a family member last year. All the same, the Kpop world lost someone special, but he will not be forgotten. I'll keep things short here. You were respected, admired, and loved for all that you did. Thank you. Rest in peace, Jonghyun.

December 17, 2017

[Recap] 2017 September-December: Culmination

As 2017 comes to a close it's time for the final Recap of the year. What a year it was for Kpop. Groups debuted and disbanded, controversies continued to ravage the industry, and more fantastic music was released. It's been a bit over half a year since I returned from blog hiatus and my productivity has been pretty good. I've got plans to do more in 2018 but I'll save that for a miscellaneous post in the near future. To the scoreboard!

December 16, 2017

[Review] Hyuna - Lip & Hip

Woah, another female soloist? Get outta here! There's a emotion I felt when writing this up and tagging this post with "Hyuna" but not "4minute." Perhaps a mixture of nostalgic and sad. Hyuna's life post-group has been enjoyable, as to be expected. She literally went from the face of 4minute to the face of Cube Entertainment. Since the disbandment, she's onto her third solo release after "Babe" earlier this year. If the teasers were anything to go by, this would a Hyuna release through and through. Her songs have yet to be my cup of tea, and I haven't been attached to anything since the prechorus of "Red" so let's see if that has changed.
Credit is needed where credit is due, "Lip & Hip" is catchy and in a good way. Past Hyuna releases were not this fortunate. Overall the song is loud enough and embodies the typical Hyuna track yet is contained with moments of vulnerability, much like "Red" was. Also like "Red," the prechorus is the high point of the song and takes a sharp but successful transition into the sassy chorus. Perhaps the reason why I've loved these prechorus sections so much is that it shows Hyuna is capable of more than rapping (indeed, some of her B-sides showcase this as well). These singing moments are great and if the verses didn't exist you'd think she was a pretty competent vocalist. That quick drop right before the chorus at 1:06 is awesome and throws you right into the fray. In the past I've lamented songs that built up only to fall apart in disappointment so it's nice to see a song taking the shorter route yet have it work.

December 11, 2017

[Review] Pentagon - Violet (Blitz)

This Blitz review is brought to you by random.org, which choose one of Pentagon's two recent comeback songs. All I know about Pentagon is that Jino, previously of S.M. The Ballad fame, is in the group. Oh and they released a song about Harambe and are managed by Cube (which curses their futures, rest in pizza). Moving on: Pentagon shows their soft side with this release, and "Violet" is styled after those dance and ballad fusions. The verses are extremely delicate but then shifts into a harder chorus - one that is easy to dance to thanks to that nice instrumental. Over the years there have been many a Kpop song with a similar concept. I don't believe there's a universal term for this mixed genre but someone needs to create one. Anyways, this song style and musicality reminds me of Block B's softer stuff. More specifically "Toy" and the sentimental aura surrounding it. Accompanying "Violet" is an equally soothing music video that will let you feel the feels. Side note: what's up with the varying resolutions of Kpop MVs these days? All in all, "Violet" is a good, relaxing track but if I'm going to delve further into Pentagon's discography, it's not going to be because of the ballads. But if this dual title track comeback is any indication, then some of their dance material is bound to be a stronger sell.
Word Count: 233

December 8, 2017

[Misc] Thought Corner: Black Pink Fade

Apology for poor English. Where were you when Black Pink was kill? Seriously, the new Twice teaser images got me thinking. In the NFL subreddit, team flairs get faded when a team no longer qualifies for the playoffs. If there was a Black Pink / Blink flair (and Kpop playoffs) it'd be hella faded right now. They haven't been around for two years yet and their inactivity is already that of a veteran group. YG is really doing something impressive here. Maybe modeling this group after 2NE1 was a little too close to home...  They're a powerful group with loaded potential but they lack the action to show for it.

November 30, 2017

[Review] Yves - New

So Loona is the new hot commodity. Thanks to an extensive investment in the group, they're milking as much about of this debut process as possible. Think EXO's predebut but on steroids. Loona started teasing in October 2016 and the group won't debut (as a whole) until 2018. As long as it works, their management will look like geniuses rather than idiots. Anyway they've already had a plethora of releases for individual members as well as subunits, and today I'll tackle the newest member to take the stage. I'm hesitant to create a new tag for her since who knows if they'll have solo material once they've debuted. But Yves (how the fuck do you pronounce that) is here with "New," let's take a look.
First off I apologize for the lazy banners, cropping the images proved difficult without having any text or logos. Anyway the song is a light dance number that makes use of Yves' lively voice. Her singing is somewhat betrayed by the heavy instrumental, but the mixture does make for an enticing listen, I'll give it that. There's two instances where the depth makes the song better: the first is when there's no singing after the chorus. The instrumental takes over and it's not an abrupt change since it remains constant from the beginning. Second, the "bridge" (I dunno if I would classify it as a bridge since the lyrics are the same from an earlier part) sounds good with all other sounds removed, then suddenly climbing right back into the active chorus.

November 27, 2017

[Bonus] Best Of 2009

Now that I'm obsessed with these Timeline posts, I want to make another where I see which groups have made the most appearances in my Best Of 20XX series. But in order to do that, I'll have to go back at least one more year. That way, the compilation will cover 2009 through 2017 (this year's edition will be coming out in early December). Plus, writing this post will refresh me and act as a primer for the Best Of 2017. I've taken the liberty of tagging the Best Of 20XX with an additional "20XX" tag if only for easy organization when looking at all my Best Of posts (since they're not simply restricted to these year-end runs).

#12. After School - Because Of You
This song is great at describing 2009 Kpop. The beat, the dance pop, the haircuts (...) and the MV quality all scream 2009. It might not be the best song from that year but "Because Of You" is one of the most iconic, without a doubt. After School is a group that you can really see the evolution of, mostly thanks to the graduation system (that was somewhat legit then). Bekah Raina, and Kahi were the driving forces of After School in this era and the microscopic amount of lines from Jungah, Jooyeon, and Nana highlight that.

#11. Davichi - 8282
Davichi has been killing it for years. I can't imagine that they have been even more underrated back in the day than they are now. "8282" The switcheroo that occurs going into the first chorus is a hilarious wake-up call because you're sitting there thinking this is another traditional Davichi power ballad but instead you could dance during the first chorus. They even include a pseudo-dance break that cuts immediately back to a slower second verse. It's a classic Davichi track through and through.

November 20, 2017

[Review] Super Junior - Black Suit

It's due time to revert to some old-school blogging for a change. Starting with the "DDD" post, I'm gonna write at least three (full) reviews before the next Blitz piece. Doesn't matter if I complete this next week or next month. No Blitzes until that happens. Super Junior steps up to the plate, with yet another change in the promotional lineup. Siwon, Kangin, and Sungmin are absent from this comeback - though Siwon is part of the song and video. Since "Bonamana," they haven't had consecutive comebacks with the same roster. Even though comes from mandatory military service and controversies, that's crazy. Having at least seven different lineups since 2010 is tragically impressive.
This song is classy as fuck. Everything about "Black Suit" screams class, even the title. This is to be expected now that Super Junior are reaching crazy levels of longevity but yeah. Particularly killer is that chorus, giving plenty of breaks for that juicy instrumental to pop in. "Black Suit" and "Devil" have the similar strong sound and really lets the vocalists shine. And by vocalists I mean Yesung. Since Kyuhyun and Ryeowook are in the army (plus Kangin making more stupid decisions), he's all that's left for their strong vocalists. And man this song shows me how much I've missed Yesung. I know he's been back since "Devil" but he's always been one of my favorite voices ever since I first got into Kpop.

November 19, 2017

[Bonus] Best Of B-Sides: Part II

It's been nearly a year since the first Best Of B-Sides. There's really no excuse that this shouldn't be a more recurring series. In fact, I'm going to aim for a new installment of these every month. On top of that, I'm going to make any artist that shows up be ineligible for future posts. This will ensure that everything stays fresh in terms of the groups (or soloists!) and their music. After all the purpose of these posts is to highlight some music that might be overlooked or less popular. Diversity in representation is something I strive for here and that applies to both the groups and their music.
FIESTAR - Turn Off The Light
At this point, "remember when ___" has got to be the most typed phrase on my blog. FIESTAR have been out of the spotlight for so long that I almost forgot about the other songs on their "Black Label" EP. "Turn Off The Light" is a great track that mixes dance and R&B elements together. The high tempo means a good choreography could've been coupled with it. Then top it all off with a fierce Yezi rap and it's no surprise this song is splendid on the ears. If not for the masterpiece that was "You're Pitiful" this could very well have been the title track.
Red Velvet - Zoo
If there's (only) one thing to rely on Red Velvet for, it is their constant string of sweet instrumentals. The "Red Summer" mini album was no different, and "Zoo" has one of many more exciting instrumentals. The animal noise mimicry is abundant and fitting, then there's Seulgi's gorilla scream which is certainly...something. All of the songs on this EP play to Seulgi and Wendy's vocal strengths, and also lets the rest of the crew play support rather well. Irene's starting to get a little better in the rap department, so we'll see how that develops in their newest album.

November 14, 2017

[Review] EXID - DDD

EXID is back. Back again. Brand new song, tell a friend! Okay moving along: EXID has made another appearance in 2017, with team mom Solji having further recovered from sickness (hyperthyroidism or whatever). Unfortunately, she isn't 100% back and by proxy probably not 100% healthy either. She isn't participating in any live performances, and also didn't film for the MV. Nonetheless I'm glad she's back. "Night Rather Than Day" was a temporary relief effort without Solji but EXID music being void of Solji's voice makes me sad. And I don't wanna be sad. Not all the time, anyway.
The electrifying instrumental that has been so crucial for many EXID songs continues to light up the background air. Those buzzing noises sound odd and grating at first, but they eventually sink into the rest of the beat and you hardly notice them until when it's blatant. I'm displeased with Hani's start to the song. She has good range but she sounds so much better in her lower register. Honestly, if I was less familiar with EXID I wouldn't have even thought it was her singing that intro. On the other hand, Junghwa is making huge strides in her support vocals and has really come a long way from the awkward transition parts like in "Hot Pink" and "Ah Yeah." She sounds far more in her element than Hani with their high notes. Her case really proves that bad parts can obscure even an average voice.

November 11, 2017

[Misc] Girl Group Power Rankings Timeline

For the next installment of the timeline posts, here's the state of girl groups as they've battled across the years on the rankings chart. This covers every Power Ranking starting in September 2015, going all the way to the most recent update a few weeks back. As usual, I'll drop the image and then provide some brief thoughts after the jump. With this, the timeline series comes to an end for now.

November 2, 2017

[Review] TWICE - Likey (Blitz)

The first Blitz piece was Twice, and the 10th Blitz is Twice. Time is a flat circle. Twice might also be a flat circle, as "Likey" gives a lot of "TT" vibes, plus both were released in late October. Good news is that "Likey" is much better than the two title tracks before it. Bad news is that it's still not as good as "Cheer Up" or "TT." The song itself is good, but I continue to lament heavy inflections in Twice (and JYP artists') music. Thankfully they aren't as severe this time around. While that hook is catchy, the linguist in me absolutely despises it because "me likey" is something a toddler would say. Then again, better than the hook from "Signal" so beggars can't be choosers. The most exciting part of the song is the bridge, where Nayeon leads into a surprisingly great (and fun!) rap break from Dahyun and Chaeyoung. This rap is better than anything they've shown so far, and the Dahyun dab was very cute. Thought it was odd during the first chorus where only half the group was doing the dance. It appears that this was only for the MV but weird nonetheless. Maybe due to space constraints? But then why film in an alley. You have another stereotypical MV but there is nice editing thrown in, as some of the transitions are really clean. Mina is stunning and I'm glad to see Chaeyoung grow her hair out. Lastly, Momo's hips continue to not lie.
Word Count: 250

November 1, 2017

[Bonus] Wild Kpop Episode II: EXID & BESTie Edition

"What if BESTie went viral in 2014?"
This series is inspired by the Reckless Speculation posts over on the NFL subreddit, which in turn was inspired by the "N-if-L" series by Dave Dameshek. The "wild" is a reference to the wild format of Hearthstone where any and all cards are available. In short, it theorizes how a single decision or event being altered would create a series of domino effects and change the future. Granted, the world of Kpop is more rigid than the world of football (there's no free agency, different contracts, etc.), but it's all for fun speculation and puts my imagination to the test, and that's precisely why I decided to take a crack at it. In today's episode (that's been sloppily pushed back month after month), we look at what could've happened to the careers of two "sister" groups if some fortunes had been reversed.

October 27, 2017

[Bonus] Girl Group Power Rankings VI: Fall 2017

Originally, I was going to have a late November installment of the Girl Group Power Rankings. However with the SNSD news and my desire to put out rankings on a more regular basis (somewhat) means we'll have a new edition a few weeks early. I think having at least three or four installments per year for girl groups can show how the landscape changes every few months. Let's look at the girl group ladder for what may be Girls' Generation's last ride. Remember: this is my list, not yours! Music, roster, and consistency are my go-to attributes when determining rankings.

Honorable Mention: Lovelyz
* New Releases: N/A
As much as I dislike the idea of putting three bubblegum pop groups on the list, Lovelyz is probably the next best group to join the Honorable Mentions section. They've been pretty consistent since their debut, and "Goodnight Like Yesterday" is still an elite ballad. This year they've had a handful of releases (which unfortunately don't get included since the last writeup was in late June) and are looking to wrap up a solid year with an upcoming November comeback. I'm hoping for something more experimental rather than a traditional pop dance track but I'd be open to another high quality ballad, too.

Honorable Mention: 9MUSES
* New Releases: Love City
9MUSES remains on the outside looking in. While they haven't lost any more members since the last time we checked them out, their successor to a fantastic "Remember" comeback was the mediocre "Love City." The song was a little too all over the place and particularly disappointing was Sojin. Her encore performance to the spectacular rap from "Remember" was boring and repetitive. It's doubtful we'll see any new action from them in 2017, but I'd say this was a good rebound year for them, "resetting" the subunit as the full team and all that. Now if only Sungah could come back from hiatus...

#10. Dreamcatcher (--)
* New Releases: Fly High
They're not technically new as they made an appearance under Honorable Mentions but now they've moved into the top 10. Fusing rock and dance, they really give off Jpop vibes and their trio of releases this year reflects that. Even though it lacked a true rap segment, "Fly High" might actually be my favorite of the set. The high tempo of the song is awesome and makes for an exhilarating listen. Now that they've sort of settled into their niche, it'll be interesting to see what direction they try and tackle in 2018. Other groups might have had bigger numbers and more production, but Dreamcatcher's turnaround story is the best of the year.

October 20, 2017

[Misc] Bias Power Ranking Timeline

After the Girls' Generation timeline, we got another one. This one is a timeline of the Bias Power Rankings since the first installment in 2014. Since these were actual blog posts, the data is legit and not estimated haha. I only included the top ten members since 12 is such an awkward number that only works for the actual posts and not a picture. Anyway here's the history of my biases over the last three years!

October 17, 2017

[Review] GOT7 - You Are

Throughout their career, GOT7 has been mostly a miss for me. With this newest inclusion, they have ten title tracks to their name, but I only really liked one of them ("If You Do"). "Hard Carry" and debut track "Girls Girls Girls" were alright but never fully lived up to the hype surrounding their name and label. What they do have going for them is intricate and expressive choreography, so we'll see if that trend continues in "You Are."
"You Are" shows a lighter side to GOT7 while still keeping their dance-friendly (or is it dance-heavy?) atmosphere. It's like they toned down the hype dials from past hits. In this way, "You Are" reminds me of BTS' "Save Me," though frankly the former is nowhere near as good as the latter. That being said, the instrumental is quality and the work of the vocalists like Jr. and Youngjae make the verses really smooth. Then there's the chorus which is powerful and uplifting, something which is also reflected in the lyrics. It does feel a little jarring compared to the main verses (mainly due to the long notes) but overall makes for a good combination. Unfortunately, what could've been a solid GOT7 release was instead ruined by an uncharacteristic mistake.

October 14, 2017

[Misc] Girls' Generation Power Ranking Timeline

To tribute the unofficial end of Girls' Generation, I did a little experiment where I ranked the members in terms of bias. We have to go all the way back to when I started listening to them way back in 2009. Think of this as Bias Power Rankings but only within Girls' Generation. Keep in mind I never did these officially throughout the years so I went off memory for pretty much all stages. As always there isn't really a method to my madness. Here's what I finalized, with some explanation after the jump (if only so this isn't just a picture post haha).

October 12, 2017

[Blog] End Of A Generation

Pack it up y'all, the girl groups we used to love are all dead and gone. Girls' Generation is the proverbial nail in the coffin, with recent news reporting that some members did not resign with S.M. Entertainment. Seohyun, Sooyoung, and Tiffany will not remain under the label, while everyone else - Taeyeon, Sunny, Yuri, Yoona, and Hyoyeon - will resign. Whether it's official or not, Girls' Generation is finished. Yeah they may not have disbanded, but you can't realistically expect all the members to come together in the future when they're under different management. I also feel there's no way S.M. would let that happen, this is S.M. we're talking about.

October 11, 2017

[Bonus] Best Of EXID

After sitting out of a few discussions, we're back with more r/kpop's Top Ten Tuesdays mixed with Best Of pieces. I really like writing for these because it not only keeps me to another schedule, but also (potentially) generates discussion both here and on reddit. This week we have EXID on the block. With Solji recovering and getting active again it's the perfect time to look back on some of their best music. Let's get started with #10.
#10. L.I.E
What "L.I.E" did was breakup the usual formula that we saw out of EXID during their rise to superstar status. Junghwa's normal-sounding lines, LE's incredible rap verse, and the electric instrumental used in the snazzy dance break all contributed to the song moving away from the "Up & Down" shell which was good. Solji, Hani and Hyerin continued to do their thing as the vocals were also quite comfortable. When I look at EXID in terms of their title tracks, I treat "L.I.E" as the baseline for quality.
#9. 3%
Another track from the "Street" album, Solji's solo makes it onto my list. Coupled with a simple guitar, Solji's voice does the rest. She sings across her range - listen to that contrast between her verses and chorus - and sounds really good throughout all of it. I think I've said this before about Solji but when she reaches / strains for notes it doesn't sound as bad compared to other singers. Maybe that's just another aspect that makes her great.

October 10, 2017

[Misc] Bias Power Rankings IX: Fall 2017

For the first time since early iterations of the Bias List (5th iteration to be exact), I will not include any honorable mentions. They will be psuedo-replaced by something else that will be posted shortly after this goes live. Would've liked for this change to come for the 10th Bias Power Ranking but alas. We'll still keep the list to the top 12 because it's a nice number for the pictures, so let's close out the Bias Lists for 2017 with the October edition.
12. Chorong (-1) / 11. Mina (NEW) / 10. Sojin / 9. Seulgi (NEW)
At first, I didn't think Chorong would even be on this list but Apink is full of wonderful personalities and Chorong's is my second favorite within the group (with Eunji of course being the other). Mina makes her debut and is the first Twice representation, and also the first non-Korean member on the rankings. Double congrats for that! Sojin maintains her spot because Girl's Day continues to be (at least) relevant and we all know how groups struggle with doing that nowadays. Seulgi appears for the first time, and her charisma both on and off the stage is pleasantly charming.

October 5, 2017

[Review] Bolbbalgan4 - Some (Blitz)

A new Blitz piece calls for a new artist to discover. Bolbbalgan is a folk duo and apparently they were on Superstar K6 back in 2014. Granted, I have no idea what makes folk music folk music but hey that's a work in progress. In my library, I categorized people like Lim Kim or Kim Greem as ballads (primarily) so we'll see if "Some" is of a similar style. Upon first listen it certainly appears that way. Maybe folk is simply relaxing or "hipster" style. Jiyoung's voice is really calming and has a slightly husky nature to it. I wouldn't say that it's uncommon but certainly a nice change of pace from the usual bright and cheery voices many girl group members have. She sounds really good in the choruses, you can almost hear her expressions. Jiyoon doesn't have any lines but is responsible for the instruments and backing vocals. There's not much to say about her unfortunately, besides good work on the guitar haha. Given their label as folk artists, I definitely could see Lim Kim singing to this, which shows consistency at the least. I'm all for more duos in Kpop: Davichi and Akdong Musician have their own niches and styles, Bolbbalgan4 seems no different. "Some" is a relaxing piece and really represents the shift from upbeat summer jams to collected fall tunes. This song sounds perfect as we move into the colder fall weather. Excellent song from start to finish. Bolbbalgan4 is definitely on my radar now.
Word Count: 250

September 28, 2017

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

10. Sojung (+4)
Sojung continues to flourish in Ladies' Code's music. Her unique sound and ability can be molded into whatever style is needed. In terms of raw skill I think she's top five material, but doesn't quite have the track record to back it up. Nonetheless, "The Rain" was a smooth R&B number and you could see just how comfortable Sojung sounded. Her solo debut with "Better Than Me" has a criminally low number of views - not even cracking 200 thousand after four months.. Maybe because it's a ballad, but c'mon people can't be sleeping on her talent.

9. Jieun (+6)
The surprising solo comeback of Jieun last October gave her career a much needed jolt of life. "Bobby Doll" is delightfully eerie and it was a style that strayed from Secret standards. It's been so long since the whole group was active that I've forgotten just how clear and bright she sounds at all times. The younger vocalists might have a better resume as of late but the solo comeback is better than nothing. Plus, speaking of her group, Secret is supposed to have a comeback this year, so if TS actually delivers on that we could see some more of her fantastic clarity.

September 27, 2017

[Bonus] Girl Group Vocalist Power Rankings Revisited (#25-#11)

Holy hell it's been 15 months since the first Girl Group Vocalist Power Rankings. Time for the second edition of the list. Same general rules apply. Only one main vocalist per group, present material weighs more than past material (though consistency is still rated), and title tracks act as the resume, with solo efforts / collaborations being fair game, too. Many groups and members have departed since June 2016, so the ex-group members that leave the list are: Choa, Soyeon, Uji, Bom, Bohyung, Gayoon, Hyorin, Yeeun, and Hyunyoung. Those were mainly ranked middle-of-the-pack or higher so it'll be interesting to see how the shuffling works out. Newcomers are the following five members: Oh My Girl's Yooa, Dreamcatcher's Siyeon, KARD's Somin, Cosmic Girls' Yeonjung, and Black Pink's Rose. My hubris has gotten the better of me so I wasn't able to include as many new singers as I'd have liked. But I'm trying to stay on schedule rather than push writing back, and so here we are.
25. Suzy (+5)
Haha, remember when miss A was a group? I'll be saying this a few more times before this ranking is done, that's for sure. Suzy jumps up spots but she's still last. And not much has changed. There's no new group material to look at, plus she is more of the actress than the singer now. But it's not all bad. "Yes No Maybe" was a pretty good song that utilized her voice well. I dunno how that possibly makes up for miss A being dormant but the solo debut did at least exist. Her delicate voice is serviceable but one expects the disbandment news to arrive any day now.

24. Yeonjung (--)
Being as unfamiliar with Cosmic Girls as I am (sans Exy), you could imagine my confusion when I discovered there are three main vocalists in the group. So I went with Yeonjung as she ate up the most lines in their most recent comeback songs. "Happy" and "Kiss Me" are cut from the same cloth that most WJSN's songs are, which is to say they are very poppy and don't really give her a lot of chance to shine. This is a recurring trait that you see in a lot of the younger groups nowadays because the innocent pop phenomenon is still very generic, very popular, and very influential.

23. Siyeon (--)
Dreamcatcher is electric and their instrumentals aren't the only part of their newfound success. Siyeon spearheads a sharp vocal attack. While it can be hard to hear her voice through the crazy guitar and drums, she's still got a good voice. My problem with Siyeon is she doesn't really stand out. And I'm not even talking about in comparison to other main vocalists, but within her group. If you rearranged their lines - which they have done between releases - you could easily mistake another member as the main vocal. Or worse, you might think she's just a support player. Given their previous lackluster reputation as Minx, I can't realistically expect any older songs to really push her out of bottom tier.

22. Jihyo (+4)
Alright so being honest, Twice's last two songs have been awful. There's no doubt about that. The question is, how has Jihyo sounded in those bad releases? The answer is: more or less the same from before. I do think she has separated herself some from Nayeon and Jungyeon. Prior to "Knock Knock" I had the three of them at the same level so there's that. Jihyo's ability to go low (which separates her from the other two Twice vocalists) has yet to be used effectively in Twice's music and that's not really her fault. However, with title tracks acting as the bulk of the grading / ranking she's forced to remain towards the bottom until otherwise.

21. Raina (--)
The poster child of main vocalists suffering from inactive groups, here's Raina. She reprises her spot from last year due to the awkward numbers game of newcomers and departures, After School and Orange Caramel's nonexistence and her solo comeback with "Loop." Her voice is delicate and sweet, which is a contrast from the wacky styles of Orange Caramel or clouded by the dance pop themes of After School. Last year's "Sugar & Me" joint effort with San E also produced similar sweet tunes. She'd absolutely be a middle tier vocalist if her group wasn't buried under 500 feet of inactivity and sadness.

September 20, 2017

[Review] GFriend - Summer Rain

GFriend are quickly and quietly building up an impressive resume. This will be their third title track of the year, after the mature "Fingertip" and innocent "Love Whisper." While the former was an awesome step out of their comfort zone, it was a little disappointing to see them immediately revert back to their debut selves. "Love Whisper" was more like "Glass Bead" and "Me Gustas Tu" than their more impactful releases. But this isn't a review for "Love Whisper." "Summer Rain" might be late on the season but would be a chance to see what direction GFriend were going to take with release #3 in 2017.
That piano opening is lovely and a recurring theme in the song's background. It helps cast an eerie overtone despite the generic pop ballad mix that the song actually is. Upon first listen, it's easy to hear that "Summer Rain" is...very much a GFriend song. The influences from past hits of "Me Gustas Tu," "Rough," and others are hard to miss. "Summer Rain" is also one of the best instances of calm Yuju I've ever heard. She absolutely graces the chorus by gliding over her notes - it's beautiful. She is restrained but still able to show off her voice all the while sounding very comfortable. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the other members. Umji and Yerin in particular sound a few notes out of their range which does detract from Yuju's work.

September 12, 2017

[Review] B.A.P - Honeymoon (Blitz)

Unfortunately I have to break the alternating string of normal reviews and Blitz reviews. I've also added the review tag to all Blitz and album reviews because of common sense. Moving on! B.A.P isn't exactly underrated but given their combination of rapping, choreography, and versatility I feel they don't get enough love. Or at least the love they deserve. "Honeymoon" is a fantastic example of at least two of those attributes. As per B.A.P standard, the rapping is elite. Zelo provides contrast to the smoother catchier moments of the chorus. I also really like they used the opening whistles to setup the chorus even though it doesn't make another appearance. At least, none that I can hear - future repetitions are replaced with singing. It's the little things like this that are hard to notice consistently browsing through other songs. Even though I've never been extremely impressed by the B.A.P vocalists, they do a great job with the chorus despite the spots of Engrish. Having such good rappers will easily overshadow the singers anyway. Meanwhile, Yongguk delivers the finishing punch with his rap verse that drives right into the final chorus (and extensions). And as abrupt as the ending might have been, I thought it did the job necessary to conclude the song. Ignore the usual MV, especially Jongup's mullet. Given that B.A.P is TS' flagship group, they have been treated well this year with solid releases in "Wake Me Up" and now "Honeymoon."
Word Count: 244

September 6, 2017

[Recap] 2017 May-August: Solos Shine

I'm going to try and come up with slightly creative (but not really) titles for these Recap articles. It's so dull just calling every single on a trimester. Even more tough will be going through old Recaps and adding a name to those. Anyway summer was a good time, as we saw solid releases from a lot of groups across the board, but it's more about the solo releases - mostly from group members. Who are they? Scroll down and see.

September 2, 2017

[Bonus] Girl Group Rapper Power Rankings IV: Summer 2017 (#10-#1)

#10. Yeeun (+8)
The new guard is here: the next five rappers finish up high tier and the oldest debuted in 2015. Yeeun is a cutie pie and she carries with her a flighty rapping style with a voice that reminds of Hyuna. This was most evident in "Hobgoblin" where Yeeun and CLC did a fantastic job with the concept. Unfortunately, their latest comeback "Where Are You?" completely abandoned that style. However Yeeun still gave Hyuna vibes, which is good or bad depending on your perspective.

#9. Exy (+10)
Exy has been a consistent contributor to Cosmic Girls / WJSN ever since their debut. She brings a deeper voice that packs more punch compared to the delicately light voices of her groupmates. Truthfully besides "Secret" (which was spectacular), none of Cosmic Girls' music has really inspired me. However, the anticipation for Exy's rap breaks make up for it. Her parts in "Happy" and "Kiss Me" were easily the highlights of those songs. Oh and a release that flew under the radar was "Love Therapy" with Yuna!

August 30, 2017

[Bonus] Girl Group Rapper Power Rankings IV: Summer 2017 (#20-#11)

#20. Amber (-13)
Remember when f(x) was a thing? They've become the next iteration of Secret, what with nothing to show for in 2017 so far. Amber in particular suffers because she was gaining a shitton of momentum with a plentiful 2016. I thought she would've kept at least some steam coming into this year. But alas. If Hyomin and Hana get punished for not rapping then so does Amber. The last time we heard her rap was in "All Mine." For crying out loud don't leave this group for dead, S.M.

#19. Chanmi (+5)
Chanmi marks the end of the low tier rappers. After getting her breakout moment with AOA Cream, she got some extra attention with "Excuse Me" and "Bing Bing," though neither of these were even half as good as the rap in "I'm Jelly Baby." Of course that's a given since she has to compete with Jimin of all people. She'll forever remain under Jimin's shadow, but maybe just maybe, Choa leaving gives some room for hope. Maybe this frees up some room for longer rap breaks that won't all just go to Jimin by default.

August 27, 2017

[Bonus] Girl Group Rapper Power Rankings IV: Summer 2017 (#30-#21)

Welcome to another edition of Girl Group Rapper Power Rankings. Continuing on our Power Rankings revisiting tour (May: bias, June: group, July: visual, August: rapper), the only stop left after this one is the vocalists in September. Once more I'll briefly go over the main focuses when determining placements: ability first, material second, consistency third. Voice matters so much, you might get triggered seeing people ranked too high or low being carried (or not carried) by their voice. Title track / promotional material only. Veterans won't get too much "outside credit," but it does hurt rookies who may have better B-sides I didn't get to listen to. This double-edged sword tries to make things as fair as possible, if you can call it that. In the same vein, I'm gonna care much more about what they've done in the present than in the past - like say what's new since the last list. And finally, ability to write or produce raps is ignored because not everyone has the chance or opportunity to do so. If it were a level playing field I certainly would factor that in but alas.

From last winter's set we bid farewell to Yubin, Hyelim, Nada, Sihyun, and Bora. May their groups rest in peace. Conversely, I'll be adding four younger rappers to the fray: Laboum's Yulhee, Dreamcatcher's Dami, DIA's Huihyeon, and LOONA's Jinsoul. I'll try and have a member addition / subtraction segment for each new installment of a Power Ranking. There were many rappers I wish I got a better or more in-depth look at (from groups like Pristin or Bulldok) but I've delayed this piece long enough (drafts started as early as late May). There's always the next rendition! This time around more than previous lists I've focused more on tiers. So for the most part even though each rapper is placed individually, most of them collectively share similar attributes within the same tier. I've babbled enough, let's start from the bottom!
#30. Junyeol (+2)
Bottom tier inhabitants range from 30th to 26th and they're characterized by (a) simply not much to work off of and (b) being forgettable as rappers to begin with. Apparently Junyeol is "graduating" (read: leaving) Stellar. So it's high time I finished this half of the rankings. You've moved up two spots! Unfortunately, you're still last. Junyeol had small bursts of rapping here and there, though it's more like chants. Even the newest "Archangels of the Sephiroth" release saw the same. Which by the way is the most badass title for a Kpop song ever. She never really had a long rap break and she now she never will, that's so sad.

#29. Dahye (+2)
Ahh, BESTie. You had some promise with "Excuse Me" and then everything went into a complete stop. That makes writing your blurb very difficult. I could say how her rap there was pretty good and might be the sole reason she deserves to be higher but that was two years ago. On the bright side, she has been active on her own Youtube channel with some covers so that's great to see. This means either BESTie is coming back or they're done. My pessimistic nature guesses the latter.

August 22, 2017

[Bonus] Best Of Big Bang

I missed the last r/kpop Top Ten for f(x) - though I didn't want to pile on the S.M. artists - and here we are with Big Bang. Kind of crazy to think that since I started my blog in 2012, the first Big Bang song I ever reviewed was "Loser" in 2015. Of course I then reviewed almost every MV they released that year but anyway. Here are my picks for Big Bang's top songs.
#10. Fantastic Baby
Whenever I think Big Bang dance anthem, this is it. Snazzy background, tacky MV, wild shenanigans. G-Dragon and T.O.P drop the bass with the rapping while Daesung and Taeyang bring up the hype. Oh yeah and Seungri sings about Obama. Too bad he's more of a SHINee fan ya feel? We can't be safe from politics all the time. This is a legendary banger (heh) that has stood the test of time in my eyes. Years later and the song still holds up. This is what Big Bang is.
#9. Lies
Oh how cruel time is. Not because "Lies" hasn't aged well (it absolutely fucking has), but because more modern releases and recency bias cloud my memory and judgment. Still, "Lies" is a Big Bang classic dating all the way back to 2008. Don't let the subpar quality of the MV fool you, this song fired on all cylinders and was but a glimpse of what to expect from Big Bang in the many years to come. That opening piano riff is super memorable and a staple of another early Big Bang classic sure to make an appearance later down the line.

August 16, 2017

[Review] Sonamoo - Friday Night (Blitz)

Sadly, this piece won't be published on a Friday night. Still, we're all waiting for Sonamoo to break out. Despite being the "successor" to Secret (who are still locked up in the dungeon by the way) they haven't really found their footing yet. Mostly because they keep away from the badass tone that they had with "Deja Vu." However! "Friday Night" strays from the more bubblegum pop sound that they seemed to love across the last string of releases, none of which I could get into. This one is a little harder hitting and thank god for that because the girls are better in this element. Also thank god what happens at 0:46 never shows up again. Backing them up is a groovy instrumental and pretty solid choreography. It's one of the rare dances that uses a lot of tutting which is neat. Could even see some silly rollerblades version working out. I love how seamlessly Sonamoo uses Newsun and D.ana's rap breaks. They never seem forced and it's redeeming seeing them shine (I've not been a fan of their performances in their other songs). I'll keep MV thoughts brief: it's boring and could've done without the butt close-ups. They're dancing in water (which is cool) but unfortunately comes after GFriend's release where they did the same thing (not as cool). Supposedly there's another song in the works, so for now I'll enjoy this disco-loving song that puts Sonamoo back on the right path.
Word Count: 244

August 11, 2017

[Review] Girls' Generation - Holiday

Guess who's back, back again. SNSD's back, tell a friend. The current #1 girl group is here for more magic. Another comeback, another dual title tracks with "Holiday" and "All Night." How spoiled we can be as fans of Girls' Generation. This is their monumental 10th anniversary since debut, and even though Jessica is gone that doesn't take away from this accomplishment. When younger girl groups say they hope to replicate the success and longevity of SNSD it's not even an overexaggeration. Apparently Taeyeon liked "All Night" more which means in true curse fashion that I'll like "All Night" more but "Holiday" will perform better. Let's see if that holds up.
I don't think it's possible for the Taeyeon / Seohyun combo to get old. We see it all the time in subunit packages and here, too. Comparatively speaking, I don't like how the girls sound in "Holiday" because the range is too high for a lot of members, and it's especially evident during the verses. For this reason I enjoy listening to "All Night" more (to be determined whether or not I'll review that). The chorus escapes the range issues and is perfectly fine, plus the extra line tagged at the end is a nice addition to an otherwise simple chorus. Tiffany salvages the verse with the first half of her non-chorus part but again their voices sound a tad too high for my preference.

August 8, 2017

[Bonus] Best Of EXO

In timing with r/kpop's Top Ten Tuesdays series going on, here are my picks for EXO's best music. I've participated in a few though only provided lists and picks. Having this post in conjunction with their EXO thread lets me post some more meaty content instead of just a list. Since their discussions include any song, this Best Of will also not be restricted to title tracks, which has been general tradition. Also, they have people rank the top 10 songs so this installment will also have that number. Away we go to EXO planet!
#10. What Is Love
It's not about how you finish, it's how you start. At least in Kpop that holds more weight. Both versions of "What Is Love" showcased solid vocals from Baekhyun, Chen, D.O, and Luhan. It was but a brief introduction of the powerful vocals to come from them. Baekhyun's line at 0:47 is one of my favorites to sing along to in any EXO song (and any song in general). The final minute is also marvelousFunny fact when I first watched this video I thought Luhan was Chen because he looked more Korean. Shows what I knew back then.
#9. Black Pearl
Man, the XOXO album had so many goodies in it. There's no honorable mentions but if there were, it'd be littered with XOXO tracks: "My Lady," "Peter Pan," etc. What I love most about "Black Pearl" is that the verses and chorus are two distinct entities but both sound in sync with the other. Baekhyun has like a three second window and everything just goes. Boom. Right into the strong chorus. This is "that escalated quickly" to a T. And as far as short bursts of rapping go for this has one of their better sequences, too.

August 6, 2017

[Review] Monsta X - Newton (Blitz)

With five other Blitz pieces under my belt, I'm going to set my word limit to 250 for all Blitzes moving forward. Including that first sentence, so moving on! Monsta X slightly take up the mantle of releasing a summer jam for Starship with Sistar's departure. "Newton" is more on the softer side despite making me think of Cam Newton (who is anything but). The instrumental is powerful and drives the song without being overbearing. But the chorus is muddy as the backing sounds and vocals mix. I don't listen to much Monsta X, so I can't tell if it's the instrumental being too loud or the members voices being too soft, but during the chorus it's difficult to listen to. Shownu in particular is soft-spoken from what I saw on Running Man so that doesn't help. Anyway, I.M continues to impress between his technique and his voice. Since none of their vocalists seem standout, he'll be a huge reason behind Monsta X and their successes. On the other hand Jooheon is more of a miss than hit, though he does remind of Zico - still a long ways to go. "Newton" stays at one pace throughout the whole song, and the only thing that really changes is the instrumental. It's still a solid release (albeit not very memorable) and definitely one of the best Lipton advertisements ever.
Word Count: 228

August 1, 2017

[Bonus] Best Of Seventeen

In tune with my sister's 17th birthday which happened yesterday, let's take a quick look at Seventeen's best title tracks. This squad is one the up-and-up with their addicting dance numbers, so you can definitely expect a few (if not many) of those to show up on this list. ...actually, as it turns out, Seventeen only have had six main singles so I guess I'll have to rank them. Maybe I don't listen to them enough but it feels like they've been around for much longer and have released more songs. Looks like a collaboration song will sneak its way in here.
#7. Pretty U
I can't put my finger on why this song isn't very good. Maybe it lacks an addicting melody, maybe it lacks a distinct punch. It could also be that Seventeen's music is generally more hype and "Pretty U" is very mellow. This isn't usually a bad thing, but at the same time a group has to be good enough at different styles in order to be versatile. Let's attribute to this maybe being a missed opportunity in regards to their slower jams. Plus it's not like they can't do slow(er) songs, as you'll see later on.
#6. Q&A (with Ailee)
Here's a question: if this song is up here, is it because Ailee's vocals are so awesome? Or because Seventeen's rappers made nice support contributions? Seems like a little bit of both in my mind, but hey that's what we want to see. Ailee is a superstar and it's good she doesn't overpower these boys with her voice. At the same time, not giving another artist enough lines would've been a problem, too, so it seems "Q&A" hit that magical sweetspot. I would still argue that the last two songs are not particularly memorable. Moving on.

July 22, 2017

[Review] KARD - Hola Hola

KARD is finally here! Well let's not kid ourselves, this is a debut the same way EXO's "Mama" was their "debut." Three other MVs and a world tour before this moment hardly make it a debut, but I digress. KARD have been sensational since "Oh Nana," and even though they don't have Youngji in the ranks, the complete lack of coed groups make this squad a refreshing team to watch and listen to. Their vocals are good, rapping is strong, dancing is exciting, what more could you need? Let's hope "Hola Hola" continues to deliver the hype.
This song is definitely a sort of fusion of their previous releases. I love callbacks and references to other songs in general, so I was especially delighted to hear the callback to "Oh Nana."  They even did the same point move of the dance, too! Somin's voice seems very flexible: she can hit notes from all ranges on the spectrum and easily carries the group vocally. Granted there's only two real vocalists between her and Jiwoo but that isn't to say Jiwoo is bad. In fact her versatility was shown off like never before in "Hola Hola," which is awesome. She got the usual healthy dose of singing lines along with a rap / rap-singing verse. The potential for Jiwoo to be the next big jack-of-all-trades is there, and it's up to DSP to use it. Can we also enshrine that "uh" before Jiwoo's rap as one of the best in the business outside of Jessi herself?

July 20, 2017

[Misc] Girl Group Visual Power Rankings III: Summer 2017

I don't even know why I do these. Probably because I'm bored and all the Power Rankings are extremely fun to write about even if they are subjective lists. That said, this will be the last installment for a while, maybe even the last period. As it's getting sillier and sillier to be ranking members based on their looks. And also because we all know that Taeyeon is the fairest of them all kappa. Here's the list of the prettiest faces during this hot hot summer.
12. Minhee (NEW) / 11. Junghwa (NEW) / 10. Tzuyu (--) / 9. Yoona (NEW)
The newest entries to this esteemed group are Minhee and Junghwa. Lately I've been captivated by Junghwa's Instagram and there's no denying she's gorgeous. Hani oppa would very much agree. Minhee has a really cute face but she's obviously known with her group for being the epitome of sexy. Tzuyu will probably stay until the end of time here, even though Mina and Momo are far superior and that's scientifically proven. And the only reason I'm putting Yoona here at this point is because Girls' Generation is making a comeback. She's the visual even though she's like on the bottom half of the group in terms of appearances for me.

July 18, 2017

[Review] Red Velvet - Red Flavor (Blitz)

Even though Red Velvet has made their third comeback under the dance category (or red concept / style), things looked promising from teasers. "Red Flavor" is a deviation from the styles of "Russian Roulette" and "Rookie" and more closer to the solid "Ice Cream Cake." Both song names have to do with food, hmm. Perhaps that's why both are so enjoyable. Wendy is in her element (belting out another bridge) and Seulgi's voice is wonderful. And as usual the rest of the squad holds up, too. Unlike other shared rap situations, I don't mind this one as much since both Irene and Yeri get their share of singing lines in the rest of the song. The rap itself isn't bad and might be Irene's best showing since "Ice Cream Cake." "Red Flavor" is really consistent from start to finish, despite the super awkward fuzzy(?) noises - the ones at the end of the first chorus for example. As expected, we have a vivid and colorful music video to accompany this track. Fruits are everywhere and you'd almost think this was sponsored by some local fruit market. The girls interviewing giant fruits are hilarious, and the overlay during those scenes are great. Too bad another (girl) group struggles to have visual consistency because Irene's bangs have to go. Thankfully they aren't omnipresent in their live performances. While I'm salty we didn't get another ballad masterpiece like "One Of These Nights," "Red Flavor" shows a return to form for the upbeat dance tracks that make Red Velvet dangerous on both sides of the ball.

Word Count: 262