[Bonus] The Late Report: November 2018

New series before the end of the year? Sure why not. Short or long, these posts will highlight something amazing, terrible, or simply interesting in Kpop of the previous month. Though they will primarily be focused on music, there may be a clip or two from a concert or a variety show (been a while since I've watched those). Starting from November is weird but (a) I'll have some October inserts and (b) who cares let's go.

gugudan - Not That Type

Briefly alluded to in Girl Group Power Rankings IX, gugudan's "Not That Type" was a strong dance number that seemed like a breath of fresh air from the Sejeong and her backup dancers motif that plagues the group. Even if the statistics show that Sejeong still dominates the line distribution, the song is setup in a way that masks that issue. So despite "The Boots" being a more well-rounded song, I like "Not That Type" more and have new faith in this young group.

IZ*ONE - La Vie En Rose

With project groups being among some of the more popular groups around, I can't really get behind them. Why get into or invested in a group that's only temporary? Collaborations are more effective at drawing hype, but that's my opinion. That being said "La Vie En Rose" is a beautiful mix of typical schoolgirl pop and more powerful dance elements. Plus Yena has a gorgeous rapping voice and I look forward to hearing more from her.

E'Dawn leaves Cube

In news that nobody was surprised by, E'Dawn has officially departed from Cube Entertainment. His departure leaves Pentagon without their star member. I'm not sure how popular Pentagon was in the grand scheme of the boy group ecosystem, but losing a main member turns out poorly more often than not. He and Hyuna are now free from Cube's clutches to do whatever the fuck they want. Honestly though it would probably be the most Cube thing in the world if Hyuna had left the agency while E'Dawn stayed. That might have broken Kpop.

Key - One Of Those Nights (feat. Crush)

Sometimes you forget what a solid vocalist Key is. After all he was effectively hiding behind the shadows of Onew and Jonghyun. Throw in Crush too? That's a deadly combination of voices and the divine chorus proves so. Looking back on SHINee, it's incredible that the group has four capable solo acts and Minho. SM now has two incredible tracks named "One Of X Nights." Might be the most powerful song title in recent Kpop history.

EXID - I Love You (dance practice)

I can't express how happy I am that Solji is back. She has gone through quite a lot throughout her journey in the music industry and returning with "I Love You" is a monumental step (though frankly I have no idea how the song is doing on the charts). But despite me fanboying about mama Solji I'm really here to talk about the choreography. Everything flows so damn well and many of the moments and gestures match the lyrics of general feel of the track. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed all aspects of a Kpop dance like this one.

That's all for the debut episode of The Late Report. Not sure how I want to order the individual sections when there's music, news, and other videos. For this first installment I went randomly but I'll see how I feel about the next two months or so. The rest of December awaits with Vocal Power Rankings, Best Of 2018, and the 2018 Kpop Awards. Have a good one.