January is over and despite my lack of attention, there have been some interesting releases this month. Whether it's a preview of things to come or the rest of the year will deviate wildly, remains to be seen. Hope everyone has had a good (or at least better) start to their year than both myself and or last year. Stay safe out there. But then why are you "out there?"
Hyuna - I'm Not Cool
As I've said before on this series, not every song that makes it here is good. Hyuna has always been hit or miss with me and this time, she's struck out on three pitches. I just...don't like anything presented here. Some commenter on reddit said "the song isn't that good but Hyuna just makes it work." To that I say, "what exactly did she make work?" The structure is all over the place and I legit couldn't stomach a full second listen. Also this video thumbnail do be hella uncomfortable.
If I was hardcore I'd have remembered the exact day and month I got into Kpop but as a scrub I only know fall 2009 is when I started really getting into this field. Thus anything here is primarily thanks to history, legacy, and lore. Here are the best of what Kpop offered during the mid-2000's.
#10. Younha - Password 486
Even though her "Someday" album is the true masterpiece of the early Younha era, I had to go with "Password 486" because it's more iconic. Younha was already doing work in Japan but this release put her on the spotlight in her native country. The pop rock elements and her strong voice are the driving forces behind a cute song. Check out Younha killing it with some younger stars earlier this year.
#9. Kim Jongkook - One Man
Ballads used to be king back in the day. Gummy, Davichi, etc. Kim Jongkook was no exception and his "mosquito voice" works its magic here. I never talk about lyrics but that last chorus, damn. It's honestly one of the most memorable ballads in Korean music history. Kim Jongkook has stayed relevant over the years doing music and variety, so his longevity is impressive. Too bad the MV isn't found anywhere on Youtube. This breaks the continuity early on, oh well.
This ought to be fun. Time for some motherfucking negativity up in here! Keeping with the S.M Entertainment theme, we're going to look at some of the worst selections (that are title tracks of course) to ever come out of that company. I did rank them, but that really means little when we're looking at the bottom of the barrel here. Some of the reasons are music-related, and some are purely hate-based. If something sounds bad, then it's bad. Simple as that. Let's see the worst material from one of the top entertainment labels in Korea.
#10. BoA - Nega Dola
Remember we're talking about bad songs so it's better to be up here than down there. Boy it feels bad to list BoA but I gotta do it. "Nega Dola" isn't even a below average song, but it would've been a great song if not for the horrific decision to make BoA rap. There are some things that you should never do. Giving BoA some pitiful rap lines in every verse leaves an awful taste in your mouth, and an awful sound in your ears. SME hardly has the rapping profile with their members, I don't know what they were thinking making BoA do that. Literally ruined the song for everyone.
#9. Super Junior - Mamacita
It's like "Mamacita" was a stepping stone or experiment to figure out how to incorporate international beats. Clearly needed some trial and error since "Lo Siento" was solid whereas "Mamacita" was...not. Everything about this track just feels awkward, like it's going through puberty or something. Even the typically sweet vocals from Kyuhyun and Ryeowook seem off. That rap break by Eunhyuk and Shindong is atrocious, so it's exactly like the average Super Junior rap! "Close your lips, shut your tongue" will always be associated with their cringe rap moments.
#8. TVXQ - Humanoids
TVXQ has had some magnificent highs and dreadful lows. They certainly support those type of eclectic tastes. I reviewed "Humanoids" on the blog before and it only scored a 70 thanks to appearance points and me liking the choreography at the time. Now with a refined taste in Kpop dances I can say it's not a strong dance. The chorus isn't half-bad...if all they were doing was singing. Too much chanting and rambling random shit. A hodge podge of mediocrity creates a mediocre product.
They're the only label with such a large assortment of artists to even do this for, so here is SM Entertainment's version of the Best Of Debuts (which has only one prior post). Some of this will overlap with said post because a handful of their groups made it on this list. However, times change and not only that, but this is only having their debut tracks in direct competition with each other. How good the song is / was overall matters most, but I also took into account relevancy at the time and if it withstood the modernization of Kpop. Because we wanna see each of their main superstars go head-to-head, TRAX and Zhang Liyin will be absent from this list, as will subunits and project groups like S.M. The Ballad and EXO-CBX. That could make for an entertaining revisit in the future though.
#10. Red Velvet - Happiness
Yeah...there's no way that Red Velvet wouldn't be last on a list like this. I still have nightmares about this song. From the awkward pronunciation of "happiness" to the terrible rapping heard throughout, there was a lot to forget about this debut. There was also the MV and the many issues there. Not much else to say other than thank heavens they turned it quite the ways around.
#9. Super Junior - Twins (Knock Out)
Despite not needing to compare with modern era boy groups, Super Junior 05's debut simply lacked the knock out capability their title claimed. I just don't think "Twins" is that good a song. Unremarkable in all facets, this was only impressive in the sheer number of members, as having 12 members was and still is unusual to see. In retrospect they almost had a fusion element to their early songs (almost like Dreamcatcher but a little more intense) and that's probably why I didn't like their pre-breakout era music.
#8. CSJH - Too Good
Before Mamamoo, there was SPICA. And before SPICA, there was CSJH. Pure vocalist groups can all trace their ancestry to the girls of CSJH The Grace. Their debut video has nothing but powerful voices and closeups to focus on the faces behind the voices. All these girls could sing and would dominate the competition today. Stephanie left and they've basically been dead but Dana's still kicking it today! Or at least, she did a ways back with "Touch You." Oh fuck that was two years ago...
We now embark on a trip down memory lane, for the years of 2010 and 2011 still house some wonderful songs to talk about. Continuing tradition, I'll list my top 12 picks of the songs of the year. This was by far one of the easiest to compile, and subsequently also one of the easiest to rank. There's a distinct hierarchy between the top and bottom half, and regardless of their position all these songs are definitely nostalgic delights.
#12. TVXQ - Before U Go
If you want to look at one of the most important comebacks in Kpop history, the revival of 2VXQ after the JYJ lawsuit is definitely a nomination few would argue against. While "Keep Your Head Down" was the official comeback song, the repackaged album featuring "Before U Go" turned out to be one of three ballads on this list. The X factor was the surprisingly formidable Yunho vocals, which matched pace with Changmin in both power and skill.
#11. Secret - Love Is Move
This song was quietly a top-notch dance number that I felt many people slept on. It had many qualities that combined together for a great performance piece. Relatively catchy hook, frantic (but still clean) choreography moves, and a smooth vocal attack by Jieun. Sure, the Zinger rap is forgettable (hey she didn't change her name yet) but then again so are half of her raps. Like Yunho establishing himself in "Before U Go," Hyosung started to gain traction as a secondary vocalist behind Jieun in this song.
After ignoring the less impressive “Something” from the “Kings of S.M. Town” earlier in the year, we dive into their follow-up track “Spellbound”, which is thankfully not the name of another title track being promoted by another artist.
Vocals: 7 / 10
The chorus springs to mind a familiar sound in a past song that’s just slipping past my mind right now, but it’s really solid. Unfortunately the rest of the song is about average, which is disappointing given how Changmin is a god and Yunho is getting better. The spam of “Suri suri ma…” is medioce at best, and the bridge isn’t up to par. The belts are somewhat of a saving grace, and execution could probably have been more…”TVXQ”-like. But besides, I don’t think the main attraction of this song was the vocals to begin with.
Dance: 10 / 10
Since the dance is so damn epic. I’d actually give this an 11 if that were possible. There’s a lot of stuff going on for the choreography, and TVXQ handles everything pretty well. But the highlight is most definitely the synergy between TVXQ and their backup dancers. It’s probably one of the first or most impressive instances where the backup dancers are displayed on equal level with the artist(s). The backup dancers are incredibly talented, and don’t miss a step against TVXQ. They’re dressed in black to complement TVXQ in white, and most of all they look like they’re having fun, which is exactly what this dance seems to me. It’s good-spirited fun, and probably a good workout, to boot.
Music Video: 7 / 10
Given how excellent this choreography was, I really enjoyed the camerawork which was carefree and helped add to the atmosphere. This is a performance song, through and through, so the MV doesn’t add or take away too much from the general purpose of the song. The moments where the MV was one continuous shot were well-executed, and the rooms were to the usual standard of S.M. I suppose.
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Overall: 80 / 100
While the vocals are underwhelming for TVXQ, the choreography is killer and the MV helps support that aspect, and scores well in doing so. Having more impressive vocals may have made “Spellbound” too hard to perform well, maybe. Nonetheless, it’s a good following track to “Something”, which left much to be desired out of this duo.
Next up on the review list, the queens of the industry: Girls’ Generation and 2NE1.
Some may not have the widest range, some may not have the most powerful voice, but one thing is for sure. They’re incredibly talented at a specific aspect of music. Most of these people are members of very specialized groups, most notably main ballad singers (because I just fall for those easily), which only furthers their ability.
Minkyung is a member of Davichi, one of the best groups in terms of vocals. Their R&B ballads are amazing, and Minkyung’s solo appearances across shows are something to speak of. “Don’t Say Goodbye” is the main standout track that comes to mind, where she and Haeri pull off some consistent strings of graceful high notes. Minkyung kind of struggles in lower ranges, and sounds uncomfortable, but she makes up for it by having some rapping potential (“We Were In Love”).
If Taeyeon’s voice is “bright” and Park Bom’s voice is “vibrant”, then Juniel’s is certainly “sweet”. It’s a very soft and pretty voice, the epitome of sweetness and for that reason her ballad works (“Bad Guy”, “Illa Illa”). An apt comparison is to IU, but Juniel has a lighter voice and higher register. Like I mentioned for Juniel’s excerpt in the Best Of 2012 set, she has a magnificent ballad voice but not so much for other genres, so that makes her a specialist.
While it seems to have faded away with recent releases, Gayoon possesses an incredibly powerful voice. It’s not as husky as someone like Ailee or Hyorin, but it’s extremely sharp sounding, in nice relation to her image. Whether it’s a surprise high note belt (“I My Me Mine”) or a predictable climb (“Mirror Mirror”), Gayoon is still able to send shivers with her powerful notes.
As a queen of KPop, BoA is certainly perfect for pop music. Her voice is lively and rich, making even doubtful and mediocre pop songs like “Hurricane Venus” and “The Shadow” sound good and of course excel catchy music like “Copy & Paste”, amongst other old songs. Utility wise, BoA has a smooth voice for ballads but even then, her ad libs clearly give off a pop vibe, like the wondrous work in “Dear My Family”. How this woman meshes her voice with choreography live is beyond me; she’s incredible.
Ahh, there you are, Yesung! Even apart from splendid work in non-ballad songs like “Sorry Sorry” and other Super Junior works, your voice is perfect for ballads. Between performances on Immortal Song 2 and stuff like “It Has To Be You”, there is nothing like listening to a ballad of yours to give my daily dose of emotion. And of course, one cannot forget how unbelievable the last 45 seconds of Super Junior’s “It’s You” are.
Ryeowook joins Yesung to make three Super Junior members so far. Ryeowook’s voice is quite unique in sound, and his range is extremely expansive. I’ve heard some Michael Jackson comparisons in regards to his singing but I think it’s more distinct, a little more energetic (“Moves Like Jagger”). Being a member of the KRY subunit gives him plenty of work to show off his ballad prowess, and collaborative work like “Falling In Love With A Friend” has also done him good justice.
Lee Hyun is known for being a member of 8eight and project group Homme with 2AM’s Changmin. Among those, solo work has also highlighted his ability / smooth voice. Like Hongki, it’s a delightful mixture of clearness and husky sound which creates a unique vocal timbre. “Still Eating Well” and “You Are The Best Of My Life” are some of Lee Hyun’s most outstanding songs.
The only non-ballad master for the guys’ list, Changmin makes an appearance because his specialty isn’t tied to a specific genre, it’s his impressive ability to hit those high power notes he does all the time. Whether it’s “Mirotic” or “Catch Me”, Changmin is belting his head off and he sounds so good at it. Like Gayoon, his power notes are capable of impressing no matter where and what he sings.
Honestly, this song doesn’t have many impressive things happening in terms of vocals. Sure, the chorus is relatively high but other than that, it’s pretty ordinary. What I do like though, is the experiment S.M. did with abnormal vocal rhythm and patterns which we haven’t really seen. While the disastrous “Flower Power” of SNSD was just messy all around, this song’s mechanics work well together, but a lack of anything powerful out of Changmin keeps this score average.
Appearance: 9 / 10
Yunho’s hair got shorter, right? I can’t really tell but at least the style certainly looks like it’s shorter than when it was in “Catch Me”. Changmin looks solid per usual, but god everything is just too boring (see the music video portion) so I can’t really talk about much. In contrast to the similar uniforms of “Catch Me”, this gives Yunho and Changmin unique outfits in the colourful shirts as opposed to the blank / plain ones of the backup dancers.
Dance: 8 / 10
Now this dance I like, mostly because the type of movements matches the song (or at least the music video set anyway) with the sharp robotic movements. The integrated choreographies in “Catch Me” were cool but this style is more appealing in my opinion. On a side note to that though, since the choreography is very linear (nothing different from what the backup dancers are doing, excluding dance breaks), it was weird to try and make both members stand out with the different / bright coloured shirts.
Music Video: 4 / 10
Oh look, Yunho and Changmin are wearing fancy clothes. Oh look, Yunho and Changmin are locked in a fancy room. Oh look, all they’re doing is dancing and having close-ups. Oh look, they both have the same room in the solo shots. What else isn’t new? I’m just going to keep this section at that, because there really isn’t anything else to talk about.
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Overall: 70 / 100
S.M. has been pretty disappointing lately. “Maxstep” was okay at best, and “Flower Power” a disaster I never want to speak of, “Humanoids” falls in line and it’s just a decent song with a boring ass MV. Supposedly two more groups are to come from S.M. during 2013, so I hope they at least attempt to make some higher quality stuff. Then again, seems like S.M. has always been about quantity and not quality.
Only 15 seconds in, and Changmin is powering through some kickass belts already? I am going to like this song. Or so I thought, until I remembered the teaser was all sorts of high energy dubstep and so was tentatively waiting for the dubstep to kick in. And so the dubstep enters and I’m like “Okay, I could still dig this.” but then shortly after it returned to the original ballad theme. Couple minutes later and we get a rap to dance bridge akin to the dubstep and back to the chorus and one final hurrah with the wubwubwubs. The way the song presented itself was very confusing to me, and it would have been so much more appealing if the entirety of it was either dubstep or ballad, not some bizarre mixture of both. But there are major saving graces here. Yunho’s voice is actually a perfect compliment to this specific ballad style / tempo, which is great since I never found his voice that strong. Not much really needs to be said about Changmin, he holds a permanent slot on the top 10 male vocalists in all of Korea, hitting those high notes like it’s a walk in the park.
Appearance: 8 / 10
Not many male singers can pull off having lots of hair, and Yunho is no exception. Bring back the shorter hair, man! On another thought, maybe it’s not necessarily the length of the hair as it is the style, maybe I just don’t like it. Also, both members have one set where their hair kinda just drops down on their faces like mops which makes them look pretty silly. Changmin being a hero and saving the day though, looking good in the blonde. Somewhere along the lines of “incapable of looking bad”, someone scribbled “Max / Changmin” into the crevices. The backup dancers also don’t look quite as creepy as they did the last time around in “Keep Your Head Down”. Cut your hair, Yunho, and you’ll have a perfect score for your next comeback. Or something.
Dance: 7 / 10
To be honest, this dance really isn’t even that appealing. While it is great to see TVXQ depart to more of the duo style choreographies (not simply a mirrored or back and forth version of each other), It’s more or less a collection of straightforward movements / sequences with some powerful moves that are overexaggerated by flashy camera effects and lighting. The seemingly unnatural high amounts of repetition also did little to help this score. The choreography of the chorus is really good, but everything else after that is “ehh, it’s alright”. Additionally, the dance bridge was rather underwhelming compared to the rest of the song. The inconsistency of the song also affects the choreography, leaving slow fluid movements for the verses and chorus but powerful moves for the dubstep and bridge parts. They play together like a whole unit with their backup dancers, though, leaving no one behind. All in all it’s a good dance, and I’m sure I would’ve been more impressed had there not been any of the flashing lights / splashing water / slow motion camera pans.
Rap: 7 / 10
I am willing to give this rap said score for Changmin’s brilliant vocals and fierce expression. The bridge isn’t half bad with Yunho’s even paced raps that almost make me forget how bad he was in “Keep Your Head Down”. The “push and pull” between Yunho’s low rap and Changmin’s high power notes sound strong together. Furthermore, Yunho’s voice matches well with the song and dubstep portions, something I mentioned earlier. It’s a little repetitive but nothing too far on the negative aspect.
Music Video: 4 / 10
Not only are TVXQ still stuck inside interestingly designed rooms, but this time they only got one other new room to play with. I counted one other set that was significantly different than the others, of which were just the same room with some minor changes and different lighting. TVXQ’s rooms / sets for their solo shots don’t even count. The earlier ones are merely extensions of the main dark room and the later one is literally the same for both members. At least in “Keep Your Head Down”, they had unique ones and the MV for “Before U Go” was actually interesting. The one save I like is that the outfits are identical for Yunho, Changmin, and the backup dancers, making both members seem more incorporated with the dancers and vice versa. In “Keep Your Head Down”, it was a little awkward seeing Yunho and Changmin rotate with outfits that stood out from the others. Yunho and Changmin have some good charisma throughout the video though, just for some minor saves.
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Overall: 68 / 100
Man, I remember “Before U Go” and thought “Wow SM can actually make a good video!” Those days are long over, and it’s back to same formula. I am convinced SM loves their slow motion centralized camera pan just as much as YG loves spitting “EH” in 2NE1 songs and JYP loves…well himself LOL. Good song, but I know everyone is just waiting for the live performances, myself included.
