[Bonus] Best Of 2019: Honorable Mentions

Christmas is almost here and that means the Best Of 2019 are also almost here. But before that, let's check out some of the songs that almost found their spot on that prestigious list. Some of these songs will be very familiar, as will some of the final set that drops on Christmas day. Nonetheless they are all here for a reason: quality tracks with a plethora of positives. Might not necessarily be the best of the remainder (when is it ever) but all are worth mentioning.

I'm actually going to go out of my way and list some of the songs I've previously talked about throughout this year. Since this is not a valid strategy for the actual Best Of 2019 post I'm utilizing it here. The leading lady of this group has to be Twice and "Feel Special." If these were ranked, their best work would surely have been #11. Such a fantastic dance number with many boons and a refined mature sound that they have been working toward all this time. Jihyo is god tier, and the members make solid contributions paired with a blessed instrumental. Had this been any other year it'd have been good enough for a higher placing but the competition in 2019 is super tough.

Others that deserve a mention and already made an appearance on the blog in 2019 include Heize's "We Don't Talk Together," iKON's "I'm OK," Hyorin's "youknowbetter," and Akdong Musician's "How Can I Love The Heartbreak, You're The One I Love." All great songs but it'd have been really lazy to include all of these as individual entries and call it a day. These five will collectively take up a spot just outside the top 10. This way I can reserve more spots for songs that I didn't get to post (or discovered late).

TXT - Crown

Barely besting out BTS is their junior group TXT. "Crown" was their debut track and a solid one at that. They bring their own brand of the energetic dance numbers that BTS made a living off of, but with a much happier twist to it. Honestly if I was a less depressing person I'd love their songs even more ha. Remember when BTS debuted with "No More Dream?" It's night and day comparing their debuts and I think ultimately this will pan out nicely for TXT in the long run. BTS have ascended into another plane with their successes so taking this new group in a different direction is the right call.

Woosung - Face

All the talk of powerful and impressive female solo acts has left their male counterparts mostly in the shadow. However that isn't the case for The Rose's leader Woosung. The Rose are a band but Woosung shows with "Face" that he's capable of handling business on his own. His raspy voice really works with this audio and the song is catchy and groovy. Woosung is suave and smooth, which for fangirls brings the lyrics "I like your face" to literal life.

Black Pink - Don't Know What To Do

Despite the absolute dumpster fire that was YGE this year, Black Pink's song not only earns them a spot among the Honorable Mentions, but also describes their mindset as the new year rolls around. With everything else roasted and toasted, Black Pink is the only surviving group that came out of things relatively unscathed. Will that mean more promotion time in 2020? Who knows. Anyway "Don't Know What To Do" should've been the title track over "Kill This Love" and I'll gladly die on that hill. The vocals in the verses are not as "out there" and they also kept the whole "no singing during the chorus" stick that "Kill This Love" had. Overall a better product than what was delivered.

AleXa - Bomb

Talk about immediate impact as a rookie? You release something like "Bomb" and you'll get that. Her 9 million views surely say so. Everything about this track is aggressive: from the snazzy instrumental to the emphatic choreography. Her charisma is definitely rare, especially for a first showing. There are girl group members who have been active for years with half as much attitude as her. She displayed a versatile voice in a short piece, going to the sassy rap-singing mode in some parts and a cleaner typical vocalist in others. "Bomb" is as explosive as the song name implies.