[Misc] The Late Report: September 2020

Another Late Report, yay! Hope you weren't used to the August edition and the extra credit there, because this month has slimmed down considerably and is more in line with other previous installments. Wonder what is in September's grab bag of goodies.

Presidential BTS

Really seems like BTS are doing some groundbreaking worth every month or so. Granted I haven't really listened to any of their recent music, but still. To get a letter from the president is pretty rad - doesn't matter if you follow, love, or hate them. They really are on another level by this point, and not even the worldwide pandemic has been able to slow them down in any capacity. Scary shit.

Choa - Girls Like You

Amidst all the depressing news revolving AOA (and the rest of the world), it's nice to have some good show up. Choa has been out of the spotlight for a while now and I'm glad she is back. Her voice is delightfully refreshing and this Maroon 5 cover does a great job of that. This should be a slow but steady return to at least singing in the public sphere for her. Welcome back, Choa.

[Misc] Girl Group Visual Power Rankings V: Fall 2020

Two years after the previous installment, Visual Power Rankings have been revived. Not only that but they will help set the new precedent for future ranking posts. They will all be structured in line with the Bias and Group Power Rankings. As in, there won't be a representative from every group - because it's too much work and I'm far too lazy for that shit nowadays. Which means these lists are more like a current top 10 (without any honorable mentions) than anything else but I'm keeping it under the Power Ranking series regardless. There may be an installment where I simply rank the visual threats overall (not limiting myself to those classified as the group visual) but this will not be that instance. You know the drill. Visual rankings are gonna be more subjective than ever, but these are for fun anyway.

#10. Yuna / #9. Solar / #8. Tzuyu / #7. Junghwa / #6. Sowon

A newcomer starts us off as Itzy's Yuna makes her debut. I'll admit she didn't really grow on me until "Wannabe" but yeah, definitely deserves a place here. After Yuna we have a couple of stalwarts in Tzuyu and Solar. Both have been extremely powerful for their respective groups and will continue to be so. Twice have plenty of lethal weapons so I give Tzuyu more credit since she faces stiffer competition. I wasn't sure if Junghwa was eligible for this edition since EXID have all but dropped off the map in terms of mainstream attention, though ultimately her looks cannot be denied. At the same time if they don't become active domestically there's little reason to keep her around. Sowon barely edges Junghwa out because she might be the most consistent visual on the entire list. I cannot remember any time she got butchered by stylists. That combined with her height are convincing arguments to put her above the current crowd.

[Review] JJCC - Where You At (Throwback)

Apparently JJCC are still active. I remember reviewing their debut track "At First" and then they quickly dropped off my radar. But seems like they had some roster changes in 2015 and have kept kicking it from then. "Where You At" is one such release under the new regime - and during their most active year. Don't count on me mentioning members by name because of the aforementioned lack of attention.

[Review] Rainbow - To Me (Throwback)

Oh man, remember Rainbow? Those were good times when all these girls groups I followed actually existed. This will only be the third time I've reviewed one of their songs, as my blog started after their glory days of "A" and "Mach," with this track coming directly after. I kinda forgot this song existed but stumbled upon it almost by chance when digging around for some old-school hits. Let's see where "To Me" stands in Rainbow's library.

Getting the MV discussion out of the way immediately: it's bland. Stereotypically bland. My interest in the world of music videos was highest during this era and I still think I'd have been bored. The girls look great and always have been: Rainbow were consistently a top tier visual threat from head to toe, from leader to maknae. Jaekyung's beauty is eternal and she'll always be my favorite.

[Review] CLC - Helicopter

CLC are back after a year of dormancy. Given the trip 2020 has been, it feels like even longer. Regardless, they desperately needed this comeback. Their 2019 trilogy was pretty solid and they have lost a lot of momentum with the long break. "Helicopter" could very well be their last chance since Cube appears to be paying more attention to the rest of their roster. As an aside, every time I hear the word "helicopter" I'm reminded of this fantastic clip of f(x)'s Luna and Amber. Y'all remember when they were in a group and released music and shit?

Gonna try something new and talk about the choreography first! While this is not the most difficult or intriguing CLC dance, it is definitely one of their most unique. They utilize many formations and change things up constantly between the number of members and backup dancers on stage at any given time. It's quite refreshing and is the main selling point of this performance. CLC swinging their arms around like a helicopter and giving the pilot salute are both hilarious and powerful. So again while this ain't their best dance, it's very memorable.

[Review] FIESTAR - Mirror (Revisited)

Not gonna lie I get excited when working on a review revisit. That's because the suspense of using random.org to pick the song gets the adrenaline pumping through my husk of a body. Anyway FIESTAR won the sweepstakes for September's revisited with their track "Mirror," which was their second to last comeback before disbandment. Surprisingly, this was their second worst peak placing on the Gaon Digital Chart, while the album tied for their career best on the weekly album chart. Anyway let's see what kind of glasses we see through "Mirror" now that four years have passed.

• I'm not sure if this is just me, but the instrumental slaps you across the face with similar key notes to "You're Pitiful." While not as delicate, they are used more aggressively but eventually after enough listens I can't really hear the comparisons anymore. Anyway "Mirror" is very much the daughter of "You're Pitiful." From the sombre overtones, soft singing, and the visual styles of the MV, definitely pays homage to FIESTAR's best song to date.

Too true! While the tempo of the instrumental is much slower, no one can deny that "Mirror" is the clear successor of "You're Pitiful," and I think the distinction is important. A successor takes the motifs and expands on it, whereas a clone is just the same concepts with very minimal changes. Also I misspelled "somber" ha!

[Misc] Thought Corner: Refreshing The Office

Even though I'm not in school anymore, September ushers in the new semester and we're gonna do some cleaning around the blog house. It's still a crazy world out there but we're gonna try and set some standards and protocols to help drive the site forward. Hell I nearly went for making a new season before realizing that Season 10 started this January. Anyway, first things first I'm gonna be revamping the Recurring Series Directory (may or may not have already been done by the time this goes live). I love that post as the central hub for someone of my favorite excerpts over the years and it needs a refresher. I'll figure something out. Second, the latest Girl Group Power Ranking has to be revised since I somehow let Dreamcatcher slip out of the writing there. But that's enough of fixes, what about moving forward?