[Recap] 2018 May-August: Shenanigans

Fashionably late again to the Recap post. You'll see some developments in that area later on in the read. There's been a mixture of good and bad music through the summer, including hyped pieces that didn't live up to expectations and underrated sleeper picks. Maybe you'll see some of those in the highlights section. If you think I'm slowing down, you're probably right...but that doesn't mean I won't fight it!

6. AOA - Bingle Bangle (70)
5. Black Pink - Ddu-du Ddu-du (72)
4. BTS - Fake Love (80)
3. Katie - Remember (83)
2. iKON - Killing Me (88)
1. Apink - I'm So Sick (92)

While that's once again a sad low number of reviews, I was without computer access for three weeks during the stretch. Not included were the three old songs I revisited and (G)-IDLE (ugh) who for some reason got grouped in the previous Recap piece. I almost put Sunmi's "Siren" here to repeat the very mistake but caught myself this time. Apink's shift to a mature concept is the clear winner over the summer stretch because that's one of the best releases of 2018 without a doubt. Not much else to say here so let's move on.

Taeyeon - Something New

Taeyeon continues to add to her masterful library with "Something New." She's one of the most prolific artists in Kpop history and releasing a new style is yet another moment in her legacy. The beat is super relaxed and her vocals match that. As beautiful and clever as the song itself was, the music video may be even better. Who'd have ever thought Taeyeon would (a) murder some randoms, (b) brandish a shotgun, and (c) make it rain? She never ceases to amaze me.

Leo - Touch & Sketch

This is the beauty of Leo's voice on display. Many thought he'd release a ballad but a smooth dance number worked just as well. For male voices I'd consider him underrated mostly because VIXX isn't that big on people's radars. Speaking of his group this could easily have been a VIXX song, though that simply shows the strength of Leo by himself. Really solid track from him.

(G)-IDLE - Hann

It legitimately hurts me to write their group name. Ughhhh. Luckily for them "Hann" is sweet sophomore release by Cube's latest group. Almost everyone looks and sounds more comfortable (sorry Shuhua...) while Soyeon and Yuqi continue to be their leaders in all aspects. Soojin takes a massive leap forward which really was the catalyst for the rest of them. If rumors of another comeback are true, then they're looking at making serious waves as a rookie group.

100% - Heart

While this is a September release, the winter Recap doesn't have its own highlights so this feels less like cheating. Plus the entire audio is a clear summer jam. They're also dancing in the water so yet more summer bonus points. It's probably not the first time a boy group has danced in water, but it's definitely one of the notable instances. I'm not a fan of Rockhyun's voice, but the rest of them are fine and the rapping was surprisingly respectable. Awkward English aside, "Heart" is a welcome track to the usual parade of summer dance numbers.

I'm considering retiring the Recap series after 2018 concludes. Well, maybe "retiring" isn't the right word. What I've been thinking of is instead splitting them into a few different miniseries. A "Year In Review" would show all the songs I reviewed during the calendar year and small discussions related to that. "What I Missed" could be the successor to the seasonal highlights sections which could go over good (and bad) tracks that weren't reviewed or at least I found intriguing. As for the Thought Corner, it would simply transition into a blend of periodic miscellaneous posts and blog posts. It's an appealing option since it diversifies the content while not really decreasing the overall amount I'd be writing. In fact I'd say it would lead to more writing overall. If this is the penultimate Recap, four years of coverage is nothing to be ashamed of. If it isn't, well time moves forward. We'll see how I feel about this matter in a few months.

Will try to find some balance between full and Blitz reviews as we approach fall and winter. I'd be lying if the artwork is a reason I'm reluctant towards full reviews - perhaps a format change is in order. We'd be overdue for one anyway as Season 8 is the longest-running season and the most posts as well. It's not on pace to be my most productive year (hard to top the 90 pieces in 2016) but I'm going to make an effort to make it close. Coming up later this month: some Power Ranking pieces and sequels that are overdue.